Harry Potter And The Power Of Love
by UnicornMagic
Summary: Part I: "And then one day a magic day he passed my way. While we spoke of many things fools and kings this he said to me: The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return." eden ahbez. Halloween '81 happened slightly different. Rating just to be sure, language and maybe future chapters.
1. Running Away

_Author's Note:_

 _Alright, now it's time for my very first fanfiction so bare with me here. And don't forget: With every review, a cute little unicron will be born._

* * *

 _Don't lie and say that it's OK.  
It's alright if there's nothing more to say.  
So I'm running away.  
I'm leaving this place.  
Yeah, I'm running away.  
I'm running away._

 _Don't tell me I'm the one to blame.  
It's too late for you to make me stay.  
No, I won't stay.  
So I'm running away.  
I'm leaving this place.  
Yeah, I'm running away.  
I'm running away._

 _\- Running Away by Midnight Hour -_

 **Chapter I: Running Away**

She ran. As fast as she could manage. The faint orders of her mother, to come back immediately, were just ignored by her. She ran. With a blurry view she ran the path, which she knew so well, that would lead towards the next road. All the familiar surroundings seemed to try to catch her and hold her back, to bring her back to what she once called home but turned into something totally different over the past three years. Everything changed after her first year at Hogwarts.

It wasn't just what happened to her after her faithful encounter with Tom Riddles sixteen-year-old self, it was more the people around her that changed for the worse. She became stronger and more determined not to be told that she couldn't do things because she was "too young", "a girl" or "too fragile". She wanted to show them that she wasn't any of that – well she was a girl obviously but she never would be a weak, little girl who others tell what to do. That's what Tom did in the end. He told her how pathetic, lonely and weak she was. He told her what she had to do and she had no other choice than to do as he wished. He controlled her – and that was the last thing she would ever let anyone do to her, not even her own mother.

She came to a halt as she reached the street. Far away from the hell that her childhood home became. The young witch tried to catch her breath and wiping away the sweat from her forehand she managed to calm down a bit but her thoughts still couldn't form any coherent plan or even any sense right now. All she knew was that she had to go away, somewhere, almost everywhere was better than that. And so she pulled her wand from her pocket of her jeans shorts, looked out if any Muggle would be around and held it outstretch in front of her. Within a few Minutes the familiar purple double-decker bus came to an abrupt stop in front of her.

"Hiya, this is the knight bus for stranded witches and wizards. My name is Stan Shunpike and on this lovely summer day I'll be your conductor. So hop on youn' lady." A boy in his early twenties greeted her with a pimpled face and motioned her onto the bus. "Ehm….."she begun but didn't really knew where she should go now. "I've got ten Sickles and seven Knuts….so ehm…..how far could I get with that" she asked hesitant and rummaged in her pockets to get the coins out. The young conductor raised slightly his brows and looked at her closely.

"Well it looks like a rebellious kid who wants to get away from home for a while, heh?" he remarked. She wanted to interrupt him hotly but he continued directly as he saw her rising anger. "But that's nothing I wou' ever stop kiddo, believe me I wou' be the wrong person to judge ya there…oooh man, the ol' times. Wha'ever! Make it five Sickles an' we can let ya out at Godrics Hollow. From there ya can use one of the pubs floo-network to get to some friend of ya till ya parents cooled down a bit, heh?!But be caref'l there ran a lot Muggles around… thos' live much too 'nitted with our folk together there to easily tell'em apart" he said and took the five Sickles from her, gave her the ticket in return, banged on the driver's Window and told him the next station would be Godrics Hollow, due the bus was otherwise unoccupied.

Just in time she took a seat as the bus made a big leap forward and the so familiar countryside became a blur of green and brown outside the windows. Due the fact that both, Godrics Hollow and Ottery St. Catchpole, were located in the South West of England, the journey (which came much closer to a roller coaster than an ordinary bus ride) was quite short. Her polite 'good bye' was the only exchange of words since she received her ticket and the bus took off.

Now she stood in the middle of a small village she only visited once with her parents when she was younger. She let out a frustrated sight but also one of relieve. Godrics Hollow would probably be one of the last places her family and THEY would look after her. That thought brought back the memories of this morning and her emotions began to stumble again.

She stood in the middle of the village in front of what looked like a war memorial statue and looked around her. People were crossing the street greeting each other, talking to each other or walking casually along the street. All shops and pubs she could see looked so normal and she just couldn't really tell who was a Muggle and who not. A soft whimper escaped her trembling lips, her tears started to fall again and she felt suddenly totally lonely around all those strangers and somehow weak – two things she never wanted to get to her again. _'Well, that works bloody fantastic. I'm so pathetic!'_ she thought as she sat down on the steps to the small statue and buried her face, sill crying against her knees (which were squeezed tight to her body by her arms).

She didn't know how long she sat there but somewhere during her breakdown big dark clouds covered the hot summer sun and from one moment to the other it began to rain like mad. This was the final piece and she started to cry again, not quiet like before, no she cried loud and through the rain you could hear her strangled and painful cries and sobs if anyone would have been around. She cried because of the betrayal of her family – well mostly her parents but nevertheless -, she cried because she started to cry in the first place and because all her life went down the pipe (quite literally) three years ago and since then nothing would be as she wanted it to be.

Suddenly the rain stopped dropping down hard on her bare skin and in an instant she was dry like she never sat, who knows how long, in the pouring rain. She looked up and was startled to see the pair most beautiful emerald green eyes looking down at her, holding out the left hand to her and with the right one holding an enormous umbrella which could easily hold three people.

"I take it thanks to your appearance that you don't really want to be found even with the fact that you are searched all over magical Britain, sweetheart" Lily Potter said as she helped the girl off of the steps and under her dry umbrella. "Nope, I'm playing a big game of hide and seek for the moment" she retorted and rubbed her puffy and slightly red eyes from all her crying.

"Well, then I'm more than willing to help you with that hide part, Miss Weasley" Lily chuckled, winked at her and the two woman made their way in silent through the small village. The farther they walked, the bigger became the gaps between the houses and properties. After a good ten-minute walk in silence, the rain stopped, Lily folded her big umbrella and tucked her arm through the younger one's left arm.

"So tell me, what caused such a big riffle through your family heaven that you got half the magical society on your case?" Lily asked as both of them were met with the first hot sunrays again. Now without the big umbrella surrounding her she saw that they were walking towards open fields with a the ocean on the right and wet crunching pebbles underneath their feet.

"I…." she started and looked thoughtful to the woman to her left side who smiled gently at her and squeezed her arm to show the young witch her support. But before she could continue she stepped in herself "You know what? Let us discuss this matter with a cup of tea in a cosy living room just behind that hill, hmm?" Lily suggested, smiled at her and leaned closer to the young witch's ear "The Den is located at 77 Ocean Lane in Godrics Hollow" she whispered came to a halt and let the young witch take five or so steps more towards the now visible building just behind the hillside they just past.

Ginny Weasley stared at one of the most beautiful buildings she had ever seen in her life. Down to her feet the stony path turned into one of full green grass with a beautiful field of wildflowers to both sides. Ahead stood a black iron gate framed by perfectly trimmed hedges with two lions cut into which stood guard at the gate. Behind that stood a proud three story stone house in beige with white big windows. It looked amazing. It wasn't the kind of pompous grand house, more like a cosy and really small castle but nonetheless perfect. All those trees and flowers all around made the look just more heavenly, welcoming and somehow you could just feel love radiating from every inch of the property. That last thought was accompanied with another image of a totally different building and a painful emotion somewhere deep inside her rose which caused her smile of awe to falter.

"Come on in, sweetheart. Harry and the boys are down by the ocean and Rose, Daisy and Daniel are out with their godmother. We've got enough time to plan and talk about your hide more to prevent the unwanted seek" Lily said as she walked past Ginny casually and opened the gates with a motion of her right hand.

Somehow, as Ginny Weasley walked through the iron gate guarded by the two lions, she had a feeling that maybe now, maybe right here she could really hold onto all her promises she made to herself three years ago. All she had to do was to come up with a proper plan.


	2. The Den

_Just because I'm losing  
Doesn't mean I'm lost  
Doesn't mean I'll stop  
Doesn't mean I will cross_

Just because I'm hurting  
Doesn't mean I'm hurt  
Doesn't mean I didn't get what I deserved  
No better and no worse  
I just got lost  
Every river that I tried to cross  
Every door I ever tried was locked  
Oh and I'm just waiting 'til the shine wears of

 _\- Lost by Coldplay -_

 **Chapter II: The Den**

 _Somehow, as Ginny Weasley walked through the iron gate, she had a feeling that maybe now, maybe right here she could really hold onto all her promises she made to herself three years ago. All she had to do was to come up with a proper plan._

"You would expect something more from the outside but this is it - Welcome to The Den!" Lily exclaimed as she crossed the threshold followed by Ginny again in total awe. "My childish husband and that prat he calls a best mate came up with that name after we moved in" she said, took of her shoes, put the umbrella away and turned to the silent witch next to her. "Well, how about a tea and then we can talk, hm?" Ginny smiled graceful at the older witch "I think I'd like that, yeah" "Then go and sit down at the patio. I'll bring us some tea and biscuits, sweetheart" Lily retorted and showed her the way through what looked like a very cosy living room to a big glass door.

One moment longer Ginny admired the view after Lily walked back into the house. "This is just amazing!" she muttered to herself and took in her surroundings. She stood on a patio with a few chairs and a table. In the right corner, towards the ocean, was a comfortable porch swing which could easily hold four people. The whole patio was under an extended roof so the burning noon-sun was blocked at that moment.

Everywhere around the patio your eyes met a different kind of rose, lily or daisy (and a few different flowers) in every possible variation. Along the wall, in one of the many flower pots on the patio and even on the grass that opened up into a huge garden. A part of the garden looked like a little playground with swing, skid and everything. Towards the left was a wild growing forest with a clear path through it. When she was right and all the stories about the Potters were right, inside the forest lay their huge quidditch field with everything a private quidditch field would need. Potters loved their quidditch. Just like her and just like her brothers. _'Stop thinking about them! Right now is just about you!'_ she pushed her upcoming feelings down and pulled herself together again.

Ginny turned towards the other side and was met with a magnificent view. From the patio you could overlook all the fields towards the beach and the ocean. On the surface the sun sparkled like a million diamonds. Now and then something would jump out of the water and disappear again. How she wanted to do just that, disappear - especially from HIM- and never be found again.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by a scratching chair behind her. "A Knut for your thoughts" Lily smiled warmly at her and poured them both some tea. "I was just mesmerized by how beautiful and peaceful it is here" Ginny answered and sat down beside the older witch. For one to still be able to admire the view and also not to have to look into her eyes all the time, they were just too much like Harrys and she didn't think she could look at him right now. "Yeah, I lose myself very often here." Lily said in a kind of dreamy voice which reminded her a lot of her best friend Luna Lovegood. Not that she had other friends beside Luna and Colin Creevey. Both were in the same year as her and even after her disastrous first year (in which she was responsible for Colin to become petrified) somehow both of them still treated her with no difference – and she loved both of them dearly for it.

The two witches sat in silence for a while and let the tea and view ease their minds. Ginny knew that Lily gave her time to talk when she was ready and she was entirely grateful for that little gesture. Her mother and everyone else in her family always pressured her to talk to them even when she didn't want to – but what she really wanted never really mattered in the end.

So after a few minutes and with her mind up she began to tell the woman next to her (which she couldn't remember to meet before but still felt so familiar) "My mother told me this morning that I have to marry that bloody-boy-who-doesn't-care-about-anyone-else-except-his-own-sorry-wobbly-arse-who-lived." She waited for Lilys reaction to her use of language but she just stared ahead at the ocean with her cup of tea in her hand and a small smile played at the corner of her mouth. "And believe me I don't intend to marry or even be betrothed to Dumbledors golden boy. I don't love him. Hell I can't even stand to have him near to me and I'm quite sure I could never be happy with him. He's everything I hate and we have nothing in common. He's a spoiled brat that gets everything just because of something he did when he was fifteen-month old and can't even remember. He is boring and hates quidditch. He thinks he rules the world and everyone would fall to his feet especially after the tournament last year. Urrrrrggh and just because people tell me he rescued me down in the chamber of secrets everyone expect me to be thankful to him and now even to fulfil this stupid life debt. If I knew that, I would have rather died down there than spend my life at the side of that stupid, boring and sorry excuse for a saviour of the wizarding world."

Ginny ranted on and on and held her tea cup so strong that her knuckles turned white even against her pale skin. "Urrgh I hate all of that. And the most horrible thing is, that somehow my whole family became a bunch of idiots I don't recognise anymore, at least somehow Bill and Charlie are themselves. The parents I grew up with would have never let this happen to me. My father always told me that no man could ever be good enough for me and that if someone came along, he would have to prove himself first. Now they give me away like some kind of trophy or property as a reward." She huffed and sighed in frustration. The fact that Lily just sat there and listened still intent to her rant somehow brought her temper to its peak and she exploded.

"I hate myself for what I let them do to me. Every time they brought me down and ignored me. To the day my mother still doesn't allow me to play quidditch 'because it's inappropriate for a girl and far too dangerous'. My arse! Rose is playing since our second year and you visit to watch every of her and Harrys games. And the boy I really would want to be with is just…" but right there she stopped her sentence when she realised what she wanted to say. Her eyes widened and she turned red as just a Weasley could. Lily looked now directly at her with a smirk on her face and one of her brows slightly lifted. "So now please tell me how I should go on from here because I'm totally lost. This is one fat mess I can see just ending in me marrying that idiot. So if you can make miracles happen, please this would be the right moment for one" Lily motioned for her to sit down next to her again and immediately took both of her hands into hers. "First of all, if you not fulfil the life debt, you would just lose your magic. I know that this would be bad enough but you have to understand that they wouldn't let you go with that."

Lily said calmly and gentle which increased the look of confusion on Ginnys face. "Look, I'll tell you now something that you should have been told sooner. You are the seventh child and the only girl in seven generations. For some wizards and witches out there this fact makes you stronger and gives you magical ability beyond compare" "But I don't…." wanted Ginny to interrupt but Lily cut her short "I know, right now not but a few are determined that those powers will come. Among those is also Dumbledore and his golden boy. That's why they won't ever let you go. They think with you by his side, the Longbottom boy can defeat Tom Riddle" Lily explained. Ginny was somehow more confused than before and also relieved. Lily did something that she couldn't remember anyone else did, she gave her answers to her question and treated her not like a child AND called that Dark tosser not by some idiotic name but his rightful name.

"What is about the life debt? I don't want to lose my magic. Isn't there something that can prevent me from marrying Neville AND let me keep my magic? And what about my family? I've got the feeling that there is so much more behind it but I can't get it. It's so frustrating!" "I'm sorry to tell you that I can't give you an answer to any of those questions right away but I promise that you will get some in the morning, okay? I've to talk to James and the others about this first and most of all with Harry. So…." Lily answered and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. _'Must be some kind of mother thing, those hugs'_ Ginny thought but welcomed the comfort the older witch offered her.

The embrace didn't last that long because Ginny was reminded that it was quite a while since she went to the loo the last time. After she found the loo with Lily description (the first door on the left) she locked herself in, took care of her needs and stood now in front of the mirror. Somehow the girl that stared back at her wasn't the same that greeted her this morning in the bathroom of The Burrow and it seemed to her she never saw herself properly the last three years. Her hair was tangled and full of knots thanks to all the rain. Her chocolate brown eyes seemed lifeless and bloodshot from all the crying or just from the life she lived the past years "Where is there difference and who cares?" she mumbled to herself. She winced at that realisation. Who did really care? Who looked out for her right now because they cared for her? Didn't they all cared just for the powers she could possess one day? The young witch shook her head slightly and stopped that train of thoughts. Those didn't do any good to anyone.

When Ginny wanted to step out onto the patio again she was startled because she saw a big black dog laying his head down onto Lily's lap who stroked his head gently. Ginny saw her something whispering to the animal but couldn't hear it from where she stood and just heard the whimper escaping the dog. Just as she took one step towards them the dog turned his head around and banged with his tail on the hardwood floor of the patio.

In the same moment she corrected herself that this dog was definitely a wolf not a dog, he let out a bark that sounded to her strangely happy, he made a leap forward towards her and the next moment she felt herself pushed to the floor rather gently while the wolf licked her face banging his tail at the patio door the whole time. "Boy, get down from her!" Lily tried to pull away the animal but he wouldn't move one inch away from Ginny.

The wolf had his front paws at either sides of Ginnys head to put a bit of his weight off of her where the rest of his body laid across her petit form. After the initial shock Ginny realised that the wolf was quite friendly and (being the animal friend her old-self was) she began to giggle at the animal ministration. "Get down! Would you listen!" Lily tried once more to pull the wolf away from Ginny but this time with lesser enthusiasm.

So Lily Potter returned to her seat with a smile on her face as she watched the content look on Ginnys face when she hugged the wolf like mad and pulled her son in his animagus form closer to her with every hint of sadness and feeling of being lost gone.


	3. Black Wolf Underwater

_It's the little things in life that matter the most_  
 _Those things stay with your heart very close_  
 _It can brighten a frown to a smile_  
 _And make someone's day worth whiled_  
 _It doesn't matter if you're receiving or giving_  
 _It makes your life worth a living_  
 _These small acts of kindness keeps the world go round_  
 _Gods in the sky and were all on the ground_  
 _He can't do it all_  
 _So we need to step up, even if it's something small_  
 _So the next time you see a chance to help out_  
 _Don't forget, this is what life is all about_  
 _Helping each other find the way_  
 _In this life we live every day_  
 _It can be hard_  
 _But we all need a good card_  
 _So when our days are slowly coming to a stop_  
 _We can make it to that mountaintop_

 _Poem by Lyndsay Thomas_

 **Chapter III: Black Wolf Underwater**

 _Lily tried once more to pull the wolf away from Ginny but this time with lesser enthusiasm. So Lily Potter returned to her seat with a smile on her face as she watched the content look on Ginnys face when she hugged the wolf like mad and pulled her son in his animagus form closer to her with every hint of sadness and feeling of being lost gone._

Fifteen-year old Harry Potter just loved those moments. Here he walked together with his father, James Potter, his godfather, Sirius Black and his honorary uncle, Remus Lupin down to the beach. His pocket contained four portions of Gillyweed that they 'lend' from his mother's potion lab in the basement.

He knew that she knew that he sneaked under his father's invisibility cloak down to the lab and took the Gillyweed, at least if her comment "Don't forget the time today!" and her pointing look was any indication this morning. The time limit of one hour (until the effect of the water plant wears off) almost killed Harry the last time he and the marauders went onto their diving trip. Lucky him that his father used a quick Bubblehead charm fast enough on his oldest son.

"So Prongs Jr." began Sirius, turned to him and wrinkled his nose "Now that you got your transformation perfected we have to come up with a better name. 'Prongs Jr.' doesn't really fit your form anymore" "And to your pity the best ones like 'Moony' or 'Padfoot' are already taken" added Remus from ahead where he walked with James who chuckled at his best friends behaviour. "Guys, leave him alone! He mastered his transformation just this morning." Broke James the arguing friends as they came up with ridiculous names - with 'Puppy' being one of the best.

They reached the beach and charmed their clothes into something more suitable. James did Harrys as well after he handed the Gillyweed out to everyone. The four walked waist deep into the water and James turned to Sirius "Don't try anything with those merpeople down there. I don't fancy to face the wrath of your girlfriend" Sirius snorted "She isn't my girlfriend" he retorted and Harry had to laugh at his comment "Oh please, she got you wrapped around all her ten fingers for how long now? Five years? Face it!" Remus comment made Harry to burst with laughter followed by his father's chuckle. "Oh you shut up Romeo, your first and last kiss was when? A year and seven months ago?" that stopped Harry immediately and he glared with his jaw set at his godfather but before he could retort hotly his father interfered "Well, come on ladies. Let's take a swim!" and they swallowed the plant without another comment.

Around 50 minutes later James saw a familiar form hovering just above the surface. He took one big breath and broke through the surface with his gillies still under the water. In the background the rest held a contest who could jump higher out of the water. The silvery doe bent her head and spoke with his wife's loving voice "Ginny went missing this morning. I found her in the village. She's here with me. We need to talk. Tell Harry." And the patronus disappeared.

James went back down under the water, let out a bubbly sigh and swam over to where his son and best friends held their contest. "What's up, dad?" Harry asked and a stream of bubbles escaping his mouth. James leaned closer to his son and somehow managed to whisper Lilys message to him "But you still have to wait till the Gillyweed wears off" he reminded his son when he wanted immediately to take off towards the shore. Remus and Sirius came over and James told them also hushed (you never knew who would listen, constant vigilant!) about Lilys message. So together the four took slowly off towards the shore and broke through the surface just in time when their gillies started to wear off. The moment Harry reached the knee deep water he transformed into his wolf and took off towards his family home in the distance.

Due the fact that he mastered his animagus form just this morning, he wasn't quite used to it but it was still faster than in his human form. So with a little trouble he managed to reach the family garden 20 minutes later.

Just as he made his way over to the patio his mother came out and sat down at the table again but he couldn't see the beautiful redheaded witch that he longed to see. "She went to the loo" Lily said and smiled fondly at her son in his animagus form. He walked still a bit clumsy towards her and laid his head onto her lap. "She's okay or at least will be okay again. We have to talk this evening though what we will tell her together and what individual persons should tell her." His mother said gently and ran her hand through his tangled fur at his neck. Even in his animagus form his hair couldn't be tamed.

Lily leaned closer to her son's ear to whisper the next part as he closed his eyes and enjoyed her ministration "But most of all she will need someone to help her go through all of this especially with the prophecy" which caused Harry to whimper and to look pleadingly at her. As he listened to the whispered reassuring words from his mother the sound of someone's steps reached his ears and a certain whiff caught his new found much more sensitive senses and it reminded him of that smell he caught last week in his mother's potion lab mixed with wood and treacle tart.

He turned his head and his emerald green eyes took the beautiful redhead in he couldn't supress his relieve and happiness to see her, at least unharmed, standing in his family home again. Without thinking he let out a happy bark which was meant to be her name in his ecstatic state and knocked her down onto the floor of their living room.

All his animal senses were now filled with her. Her flowery smell that (even in this house surrounded by flowers) was totally enchanting. Her soft giggles reached his pointy ears and sounded like an angelic melody. Even the taste of the remaining of her dried tears on her cheeks filled him. He never wanted to stop to feel all those things ever again. Harry thought from this moment on he couldn't stand not to feel Ginny this near. When she crossed her arms behind his broad neck and pulled him closer to her petit form he couldn't resist to let out a happy sight and give her one last lick at the side of her neck which caused her to let out a soft giggle again.

Somehow Ginny couldn't feel any fear towards this normally monstrous animal. Something told her that this wolf would never hurt her and would more likely protect her. Cuddling the jet black wolf made her feel safer than she could ever remember feeling before.

His fur was soft and thick. Around his neck his fur stood away in every possible direction. The Black wolf measured around 42 inch in length and 33 inch in shoulder height with a weight around 60 pounds. Beside his physical appearance the most distinctive feature were his emerald green eyes. When Ginny pulled back and watched the now panting animal on her chest she was startled to see those eyes looking down _'Somewhat lovingly...wait a wolf can't look lovingly at you either he wants to take you'_ she thought and realised the wolf making his way back off of her under her staring gaze _'I must definitely be going crazy. Bloody perfect, now even a wolf looks to me like him'_ she grumpily continued her thought.

"Sorry for that. We found him a while ago and sometimes this little bugger just won't listen when he sets his eyes on something he wants. But if it comes to it, he retracts his tail faster than you can say 'Mimbulus Mimbletonia'." Lily said with a smile on her face. This caused Ginny to lose a giggle again and the wolf at her feet to growl low at his mother. "I never saw a wolf like this. He is really beautiful and the fur in his neck looks quite funny. What did you name him? Ruffles or Tousles maybe? That would be quite fitting, wouldn't it?" Ginny said and ruffled Harrys fur affectionate to what his eyes slightly widened in shock. Those names could never ever reach his godfather – he would never hear the end of it for sure. Lily chuckled lightly at her suggestions and her son's reaction. Keeping Ginny around would definitely be quite entertaining.

"Well boy, after that greeting, how about you enjoy yourself a bit in the forest?" Lily said to the wolf, who get her intention. He nuzzled Ginnys hand affectionately next to him a last time and took off towards the woods. "I never heard of a wolf interact with humans like this" she remarked as she watched the black wolf disappear inside the woods. "He's really special and somehow reminds me of my son" Lily answered and smiled knowingly at her. Harry wasn't her only son but she knew that she struck front and centre. Her comment towards the boy, who was on Ginnys mind much more often than she dared to admit, caused a blush to creep up her neck but thankfully Lily averted the issue quickly "So, how about I show you around the house and where you can stay? I'm quite sure that Harry, the boys and Dora with Rose and the twins will be back shortly."

Lily began to make her way inside the house again after vanishing their tea cups towards the kitchen. "Well, this is our living room. You're already acquainted with the floor so we can skip that." Ginny snorted and looked around the room now much closer. On one wall (the one next to the patio and towards the ocean) stood a huge and proud brick mantelpiece which Ginny admired silently. "This one and the one in the study are connected to the floo-network. You still need a password to be able to come through them though. Every other mantelpiece in the house is connected through an inter-house-floo-network. It's mostly used for emergencies and not used very often but still works the same." Lily explained as they left the cosy living room and entered the parlour.

"This is the parlour as you might have recognised. There is our dining room." She said and motioned into the room on Ginnys left. "We use it from time to time when we are more than the eight of us." The room was fairly big with a table in the centre (which could probably easily hold 20 people) and on the wall across the entrance stood another mantelpiece. "Eight?" Ginny asked with a questioning look. "Yeah, Harry, Rose, Daisy, Daniel, Sirius, Remus, James and myself. I can't remember many days Remus and Sirius weren't here. They even got kind of their own rooms at the 2nd floor." Lily answered and rolled her eyes as she made her way towards the entrance of the kitchen (the same kind of arch as towards the dining room).

"Don't tell them that, because they wouldn't ever leave this house again, but I really love them they are like brothers to me. They're both really great guys, even when Sirius pretends to be still that cool-pranking-playboy-macho-randy-teenage boy he was 20 years ago – which by the way he despises today as much as the next member of the Black family - and Remus drowns in his self-pity. They found both the love of their lives and use every stupid excuse that they can't be with them properly. So if you ask me, they're here this much just to escape their own luck." Lily ranted on about those two "But that's totally crazy!" Ginny exclaimed totally confused. "That are those two to me now for nearly 25 years! But later with that good talk about the extended Potter family, THIS is our kitchen as you can see." She said, spread her arms and turned half way around. "You can use whatever and whenever you need it. The fridge is always full, well mostly. If you want anything, just write it onto the shopping list pinned on the fridge. Whoever who'll do the next shopping will take care of it." Lily explained and opened the fridge.

As she turned back to the younger witch she saw the look of wonder on her face. Now she remembered what she wanted to explain at the beginning. "Oh sorry sweetheart, I totally forgot to tell you that electricity works in her. So no gas lamps or living like 200 years ago. You will get use to all the switches and plugs with time, to explain everything in detail now would just take too long. If you need anything or got any questions, just talk to us. No matter what, we will always try to help you within our own possibilities" Lily said, put her hands onto Ginnys shoulders and squeezed them gently. "Which by the way are quite a lot." She added with a mischievous look on her face and was relived to find the young red head smile fondly at her.

"Thank you. I know you don't really know me and that you are willing to help me amazes me. It must be enough with the six or even eight of you around and now with me added, I promise I won't be a burden in any..." but before she could finish her sentence her lips glued together and her eyes widened in shock. Lily stood still before her but now with a bit of furry glinting in her emerald green eyes and her wand in her hand. "Ginevra Molly Weasley! I never want to hear you say that again. You're and will never be a burden in this house. And believe me one thing young lady. From time to time this house holds fourteen people at once for weeks so you staying here won't be any inconvenient at all. You can call this your home now as long as you want" she said and put a lost lock of Ginnys hair behind her ear. "And for that nonsense part with not knowing you. All of us knows you longer than you think and maybe knows more about yourself than you, but this is another issue for our talk in the morning."

Ginny just took that without a comment or reaction beside a silent nod. "Then I think we can continue the guided tour another time and I will show you your room now." In that exact moment Ginny felt like her eyelids were made of stone and struggled to keep them open as if she just took one of Madam Pomfreys Sleeping Draughts. "Where you definitely should rest awhile. You look knackered, sweetheart." Lily told her gently and guided her with a hand on the small of her back to the parlour where they took the stairs to the first floor.

Ginny was so tired that she didn't even registered what Lily talked to her about in a calm voice – which made it much harder to stay awake. Her voice was just so melodic and gently – as if she would read her kid a bedtime story. Ginny never registered how they took another staircase or how Lily vanished her dirty clothes, helped her into a light nightgown and into the soft bed. The moment her head hit the cushions exhaustion took over and she fell asleep.

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 **Author's Note:  
** Hey folks, I'd like to thank all of you for reading this story and thank those who left a comment (cute little unicorns are the sweetest). I'll try to update as regular as possible and hope you can bare with my little mistakes (I'm not a native speaker but I'm doing my best ;)  
If anyone is interested in become beta, just ask.

And don't forget that beautiful button below, the world could do with more cute little unicorns ;)


	4. Awakening

_**Author's Note:**  
Thanks for the few pointers i got via PM and your comments. I'm always greatful for a bit of help and open for positiv criticism and ideas to improve the story.  
_

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 _As I tried to grasp some meaning  
from within her silent cries,  
I felt her soul reach out to me  
from deep within her eyes._

I saw the walls were crumbling  
and falling to the ground.  
Perhaps this is a fresh start  
the two of us have found.

 _\- The Walls Are Crumbling by Mary Nagy –_

 **Chapter IV: Awakening**

 _Ginny never registered how they took another staircase or how Lily vanished her dirty clothes, helped her into a light nightgown and into the soft bed. The moment her head hit the cushions exhaustion took over and she fell asleep._

In her sleep it seemed to Ginny that she jumped from dream to dream at a breakneck pace She knew all the people and places in those little scenes, but the content itself seemed from another life.

Ginny's never been with Rose, Luna, Ron and Harry on a hill near The Burrow watching shooting stars in the night sky or played a quidditch game with all of the brothers, except for Percy - _'Well at least something seems normal' -_ against Harry, Rose, James, Remus, Sirius and to her utter confusion Susan Bones. She also never spent her eleventh birthday at the beach down by The Den which she could see in the distance, with her mother and Lily carrying her birthday cake towards her.

It went on like this for anther few dreams but then she stood in the middle of the great hall which looked exactly like at the Yule Ball one year and seven months ago. Ginny didn't just stand there, no, she danced. Ginny Weasley danced with Harry Potter at the Yule Ball and in her dream they smiled and stared at each other longingly. Dream-Ginny laid her head onto his left shoulder so that he rested his cheek at the crown of her head. Somehow Dream-Ginny couldn't even hear any music. Everything she heard was Dream-Harrys heartbeat. After a few minutes Dream-Ginny lifted her head and put her hands in Dream-Harrys neck. Dream-Harry pulled her petit body against his firm chest when he sneaked his arms around her waist. Without any hesitation Dream-Harry and -Ginny tilted their heads and their lips met for the very first time in a gently caress. They moved their lips lovingly against each other's and pulled each other as close as possible.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Lily closed the door behind her silently with a sigh after she put some fresh clothes and a toilet bag on the dresser. When Lily reached the kitchen, twelve eyes focused on her. "Where are Daisy and Dan?" Lily asked her family. "I just put them down. They already kipped away when we were on our way back " answered Dora.

Nymphadora Tonks was anything but an ordinary 22-year old witch. She was dead clumsy - and thanks to that the centre of many jokes especially from her cousin Sirius – but still a very good dueller and fighter. She wore muggle clothes in a punk/rock style but not exaggerated. She was a beautiful young witch. With her pale heart-shaped face and her sparkling brown eyes. But her appearance was nothing very permanent because she was a Metamorphmagus. Dora (how she was only called by her family, for everyone else it was Tonks but NEVER Nymphadora even for her family) wore her hair mostly shoulder length in a bubble-gum colour. She was Daisy and Daniels godmother and she took that responsibility very serious. Almost every week there would be a fun day with their godmother from which the twins would come back home totally knackered. Due the amount of time Dora spent in the Potter household, beside her work as an Auror and her life with her mother, Andromeda Tonks (Sirius favourite cousin), and father Ted Tonks, a muggle-born wizard, she was like a big box full of fun and adventures for the youngest Potters.

Lily nodded, made her way over to them and sat down next to her husband. "Hey, darling" he greeted his wife with a gentle kiss and draped his left arm over her shoulders. "We have to talk what we'll do tonight." Lily started to explain her plan but was interrupted "No!" came in a determined voice from the kitchen sink. "Son, we talked about this…" James tried to reason his oldest son who stood at the kitchen sink with his hands shoved in his pockets, staring out the window. "I know dad. Believe me when I say that I'm most likely one of the persons who can't wait to finally be able to tell her everything. But I can't sit through this evening and dinner and talking to her like I had to all those fucking past three years." Harry exclaimed and raked his fingers frustrated through his hair. Lily shot her son a disapproving look but stayed quiet. "Sorry, mum" he mumbled as if he could feel her look. The room went silent again as they were lost in their own thoughts.

"Then tell her for Merlins's sake!" Rose Potter said with such a force that everyone snapped out of their thoughts and Harry looked with creased brows at her. Rose stood up, made her way over to her big brother and wrapped her arms around his middle. His sisters comfort was everything that Harry needed to get rid of most of the tension in his body and he relaxed a bit. Still in her brothers arms they turned towards the adults. "We don't really need to plan this talk. We start at the beginning. Together. Before dinner we will be ready with most of this mess and can continue during it." Rose said which earned her a proud look from her godfather next to Sirius at her rational way to handle the situation. "I know her my whole life, she won't find any rest tonight with all these unanswered questions and mysteries." She added in a sad tone and face into her brother's firm chest. "At least not without the calming draught mum gave her probably already…". The others turned to Lily with amusement and expectation. "What? Don't look at me like that. She needed it" she defended herself and dared them just with a fierce look to say anything against it.

Oh, Harry hated how all of this effected his little sister. How this effected all of them. He hated that one single man could ruin so many lives at once. Nothing of this, not the sadness in his sister's eyes for losing her best friend who was like her own sister, not the stressed situation his parents were put in or the isolated live all of them lived with memories of a much brighter life was worth any of that mans 'for the greater good'- rubbish. And no one hurt his baby sister – not that he would call her that, he liked his bits just fine were they were – not even Albus-I-got-so-many-fucking-names-to-impress-and-think-I'm-a-notch-above-everyone-else Dumbledore.

He loved Rose. She saw the world from a totally different point of view. She was one of the strongest – mind and body- and fiery persons he knew and she was passionate about things that are important to her. Both just exactly like the other two red heads he loved – his mum and Ginny (maybe this was a red head thing). He loved those three women to no ends and totally different at the same time. Rose was his sister, his first baby sister. He loved Daisy and Dan just as much but Rose was special to him and he knew Daisy and Daniel would share that same bond. They grew up with each other. With just one year and a month between them Harry couldn't remember a day in his life since she was born without his sister as one of his best friend. Sure they still were siblings and had their moments – mostly thanked to both of their godfather's contest who of them was the better godfather and the fact that there couldn't be two people with more different ideas of being a godfather than Sirius and Remus.

Then there was the love for his mother. He couldn't even describe it. Her love for him just filled his whole being and he knew that all four of her children received exactly that love and returned it.

And then there was Ginny. His Gin. He was the first person after her parents and godparents that hold her tiny little hand – mind you his weren't that big either at the tender age of one – and something deep inside him told him that he loved her from this moment on. Yes, Harry Potter loved Ginny Weasley. He couldn't name when those feelings rose, because he was sure that they were always there. They grew up with each other. Ginny, Rose and Harry were inseparable as just best friends could.

Harrys first year was disastrous. Not because of what happened. Because he had to leave Rose and Ginny behind. Sure he had his best mate Ron but it wasn't the same. After just a month separated from them he promised himself never to lose them or that he could even imagine his life without one of them. A year and a half later, now three years ago, he lost Ginny. He lost the girl he loved his whole life. Dumbledore and his golden boy took her away from him and it pissed him off like nothing else and a pissed off Potter is nothing anyone could survive undamaged.

"Well, then let's get her down and let's get over with it. I'm famished!" exclaimed Sirius and clapped his hands together. "We won't, Mister. Firstly, she'll need some rest for this conversation. Secondly, you four will take a shower first, you smell like a can of fish. And most important, you're always famished, this doesn't really count. So get your backsides out of my kitchen an into those showers it's just one o'clock, there's plenty of time!" Lily ordered the men around and was left with her oldest daughter and Dora, both looked at her with amused expressions on their faces. "What? They wouldn't have stopped, they stink and they really have no idea how to talk to a teenage girl." She said and pulled her daughter into a hug. "How about a 'Welcoming (Back) Barbecue' for Ginny? She always loved those barbecues and we can prepare it while she rests" Rose suggested which earned her an agreeing 'whooo' from Dora and a smile from her mother. "That's a wonderful idea, honey" and so the three women started the preparations for a famous Potter barbecue while they talked about everything and nothing.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Harry stood in front of a closed door. After he took a shower and helped with the barbecue preparations - for him peeling the potatoes - he strode restlessly through the house and tried to keep his mind from wandering to the redheaded beauty that was now sleeping behind that closed door.

He opened the door as quietly as possible and entered the room on the second floor. Inside stood a dresser with a mirror, a desk with a chair in front of it, a small sofa at the right side and a momentarily occupied double bed across the door. The whole room was in a combination of soft blues and beige colours. Somehow just from opening the door and being alone in a room with Ginny after such a long time, his senses and emotion were send into an overdrive. The only sound in the room was his best friends gently breathing. He transformed into his animagus form and the black wolf made his way over to the bed.

Gently he jumped on the foot of the bed and laid his head on her covered ankle. Harry watched her face and let his sensitive senses be flooded with every detail of her sleeping being. It wasn't that he never saw her in the last three years - he always watched her from the distance or tried to talk to her but that stupid old wanker and his magic kept her away from him and Rose.

Her face became a bit slender and lost those childish features it held three years ago. Her long fiery red locks, that were much longer now, laid all strewn around the cushions and covered half her face while she laid on her stomach with her head turned towards him. For him the most beautiful face in existence. Her long dark lashes rested on her pale freckled cheekbones and fluttered slightly as a smile formed on her soft and rosy lips which led out a small sigh and she began to stir - a sure indication that she is waking up. They hold many sleepovers or fell asleep on the beach, the pond at The Burrow or in the living room together that he knew that she sleeps like a stone - heavy and not moving at all.

Ginny rolled onto her side and her eyes fluttered open. She took in the foreign room and felt momentarily confused but then everything came crashing down. She couldn't decide whether to cry out in frustration and sadness or in relieve and happiness. Then she felt something else moving on the bed and saw two emerald green eyes sparkling at her in the dimmed daylight in the room. The next moment a wet tongue licked her right cheek where just moments before another Dream-Harry gave her a peek. "Hey boy! I could get used to having you in me bed, Ruffles" Ginny said with a smile and raked through his thick, tousled, black fur. At her comment the black wolf covered his head with his big paws. Ginny enjoyed the company of Harry in his animagus form immensely – clearly she still didn't know it was him.

She cuddled closer to him and draped her arm over his broad neck. Some tiny little bit inside her brain screamed to run away from this monstrous animal and somehow gave her a sick feeling but her heart just couldn't get away from him. After a bit cuddling the black wolf gave Ginny one last lick on the tip of her nose, jumped from the bed and towards the dresser.

He stood his hind legs, grabbed the fresh clothes lightly with his sharp teeth and brought them over to her. "I think you're one of the smartest animals I've ever met" Ginny said in awe when he came over a second time with a toilet bag filled with toiletries

"Thank you, Ruffles." Ginny thanked him with a kiss on his wet nose what earned her a happy bark and the pounding of his heavy tail on the floor. "If you could show me where the bathroom is, you would receive another kiss, boy" she said in amusement and was totally stunned when he walked to the door (which was by the way closed _'how does a wolf close a door?'),_ opened the door with his front paws _'Oh well, I don't think this is an ordinary wolf'_ and looked at her expectantly. Just then Ginny realized he probably wanted to show her the bathroom and so she took all the things and followed him.

While Ginny took a refreshing shower she thought about what happened. Her disagreement this morning with her mother. Then her running away from her childhood home and ending – Merlin knows how – coincidently in Lily Potters present.

In retrospect it seemed maybe crazy that she just trusted her and walked with her. With Voldemort back she could have been everyone, but when she looked into Lily Potters eyes and saw her look, somehow full of love and comfort, some part of her just felt that she could trust her with her life. Just like with Ruffles "This is definitely going to be his name" Ginny mused to herself when she turned the water off. Ginny knew that Ruffles couldn't be an ordinary wolf. Even a tamed one wouldn't be acting like him. The only explanation would be that he was an animagus, but she didn't know of any Potter having a wolf as their animagus form. _'Wait a minute'_ Ginny thought. How did she know in the first place which animagus forms the Potters have? From somewhere Ginny knew that James was a stag, Lily a doe and Harry and Rose were definitely too young for being an animagus.

She was totally confused where this information just came from. But that was nothing to her reaction when she grabbed, clad in just a towel, the L-formed thing with a string attached to one end next to the sink. When she took it her mind came up with another memory. She and Rose, looking to be seven years old, held those things at each other's face and wet hair laughing like mad. "A hairdrier" Ginny whispered to herself and turned the dryer on. She wasn't only met with a stream of hot air against her face but also with the realisation that her dreams and that … whatever it was, seemed rather real.

Ginny finished to dry herself, changed into a yellow summer dress, brushed her teeth and was now descending the stairs like in trance lost in her thoughts as more and more memories flooded her mind. It was like a stream of water running through after a dam broke. She followed the voices and music coming from the kitchen. When she stood inside the kitchen she took in the picture there. Lily, Rose and Nymphadora Tonks - _'No, just Dora. She hates her name' -_ stood around the island and cut vegetables and stirring some sauces but her eyes fixed on the person standing with his back towards her at the island cutting what looked like meat.

Through his tight-fitted T-shirt she saw every defined muscle twitching and working in his back and upper arms. He stood there, humming to the music and laughing at some comment from his sister she didn't understand in her state. He turned his head slightly to his right and stopped what he was doing.

A second later Ginny took in the emerald green eyed, raven-black haired and smiling boy that just turned around. "What's happening to me?" she asked him with a pleading look just above a whisper when everything came crashing down on her. With one look at her best friend the rest of her memories came crashing down and it felt like hitting a brick wall with full speed – a rather rude awakening. The room fell totally silent and the three other witches in the room stared at them expectantly.

With a determined and somehow scared look in his eyes Harry opened his arms. Without any hesitation, without any doubt and with the certainty that's what she missed the last years, Ginny leaped forward and throw herself into Harrys strong arms, which encircled her directly like a blanketai


	5. Talking

Author's Note:  
Another chapter, yipiieee! They will get slightly longer from now on.

And not to forget this time (like I did before): I don't own Harry Potter or its characters ;)...and the part I took from pottermore *cough*

Enjoy! and don't forget to leave a comment.

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 **Chapter V: Talking**

 _With a determined and somehow scared look in his eyes Harry opened his arms. Without any hesitation, without any doubt and with the certainty that's what she missed the last years, Ginny leaped forward and throw herself into Harrys strong arms, which encircled her directly like a blanket._

Rose watched silently as her best friend cried in the arms of her big brother. Sure she knew that they also were best friends – even two weeks longer than her and Ginny - but a tiny little bit of jealousy made its way to the surface. Rose knew that none of them was the same person they left behind three years ago. She knew that when Ginny would get away from Dumbledore's spells that she and Harry would develop a much deeper relationship. Rose knew this would happen either way since the night before Harrys first year at Hogwarts.

 _Around two in the morning Rose made her way towards the kitchen to get a drink. As she wanted to take the first step downstairs she saw the light coming from under her big brother's door. She made her way towards the closed door and opened it gently._

 _The scene inside the room somehow changed her picture of her brother. There on the floor sat not the confident and cheeky 11-year old boy she saw every day but a lonely boy who was unsure of himself with a photo album in his lap. "What if she realises this year, that she doesn't need me anymore?" Harry whispered, still bend over the photos, to his little sister. Rose closed the door silently, sat down next to her brother on the floor in front of his bed and wrapped her arms around his middle and watched the photos in his lap. "Why in the name of Merlin's shaggy pants should this happen?" she asked him back as Ginny laughing dunked Harry under the water over and over again in the picture. Harry didn't answer her._

 _"Ginny is your best friend since we can think back and this stupid year apart won't change anything. Do you get that? You're so much more important to her that she could just not need you anymore. Oh, Merlin! You're thicker than I thought, dear brother of mine." Rose said, untangled her arms and forced him to look at her with both her hands on his cheeks. "I don't know what I'll do without her. For all my life I spend nearly every day with her and now I have to spend ten months without seeing her at all." Harry said with his voice full of emotions. "First of all, you'll see her during Christmas and Easter holidays. Secondly, you can write to each other all the time." Harrys expressions showed that these facts didn't occurred to him. "And won't you miss your ickle little baby sister at least a bit?" she added with a mock hurt tone in her voice which brought a small smile to his lips. "No, I think I need some time off from you after all those years." Harry played along, what earned him a hard punch against his shoulder._

 _"But you do realise that Ginny's fears are much more reasonable than yours, right?" "What?" "You didn't think this wouldn't affect her, did you? Maybe I shouldn't tell you, but she is so afraid that you will make all this new friends at Hogwarts that you will forget about her at home." Rose said gently what reminded Harry a lot of his mother. "And I think that's more realistic than she forgetting you. With all those beautiful young witches there…" "None of them could ever reach her!" Harry blurted out in shock at his sister implication. "I mean..." "Yeah, yeah. I know what you mean and I think it's really time for you to surrender to your feelings for her." "I don't have feelings for her!" Rose looked at him with a pointed look "Well, sure I feel things for her but not like this. I mean I'm elven. I can't have feelings like this for a girl." "But she isn't just a girl. She's Ginny." Rose said and enjoyed the uncomfortable situation she put her brother in "She's your Gin and THAT changes everything, doesn't it?" She added more softly and saw a familiar blush creeping up Harry cheeks. Oh, how she enjoyed her brother's week spots. With that Rose stood up, offered her brother one last pad on the shoulder and left the room again to get the drink she left her bed for earlier._

And immediately she felt bad. Somehow she forgot that conversation and it hit her that his brothers fear came true and lost the person he couldn't stand to lose probably the most. That little jealousy faded quickly and was replaced by happiness for her brother and herself for getting at least a bit of her best friend back.

Lily charmed all the ingredients to chop themselves, get into their bowls and walked to the still embracing teens. "Come on, sweetheart. We'll have that talk I promised you earlier." She said as she laid a hand at the younger witches back and rubbed gently in circles. They only respond was Ginny's nod against Harry neck. "I'll get the others" Dora said and left the kitchen to find the men while Lily walked towards the living room followed by Harry still with his arm around Ginny and Rose slowly behind.

Harry sat with Ginny down onto the smaller sofa (the one with the view to the patio and ocean in the distance). Ginny who came slowly to her senses again scooped a bit away from him but still held his right hand firmly in hers. "I'll get us some tea" Lily said while she watched her son and her daughter in everything but blood. "You know that she's still your best friend, right?" Lily asked her oldest daughter who stood in the doorway and watched the two teens' back on the sofa and caressed her cheek with a smile on her lips. Rose looked up to her mother with tears in her eyes, nodded her understanding and walked towards the sofa.

As she stepped closer and wanted to sit down across of them Ginny held out her hand and looked into her eyes. Chocolate brown met hazelnut brown eyes and Rose knew that this girl was still her best friend, her sister in everything but blood and the love of her brothers live. "It's good to have you back" Rose said, her voice thick of emotions when she took Ginnys hand and sat down at her other side. The reunited best friends sat there in silence until James, Dora, Remus and Sirius walked into the living room "Well, they look cosy, don't they? As if nothing happened the last three years" Sirius said in his usual ironic tone. Ginny stood up and within a second embraced him "I'm so glad to have you back, Red" Sirius mumbled into her ear "It definitely feels more like a lifetime rather than three years" she said sniffling as she embraced Dora and Remus with the same enthusiasm. "Welcome back, gorgeous!" James greeted her and hearing him using his pet name for her she couldn't hold back the tears any longer when another wave of memories came crushing down on her and most of all from when he gave her that name.

 _A six-year old Ginny Weasley sat at the porch bank and looked out into the setting sun. "What are you doing here at this lonely hour, m' lady?" James asked when he sat down next to the little girl and draped his arm around her shoulder. Ginny wasn't his daughter but she was as good as. "Uncle James, do you think that one day Harry and me will be together? I heard you and daddy making fun of making a bet when we would get together" Ginny asked in all her childish naivety. James was momentarily confused but smiled down gently at her "At least I can't see why my son wouldn't be interested in you one day. He must be extremely blind or thick-headed to not recognise you when you two get older especially with us Potter men and our thing for redheads. And for that bet, your daddy and I were just kidding. We both think that you would be extremely good for each other. That's us dads wanting the best for our kids" "But all those other girls are much prettier than me, Rose or Luna for example and I…" "You stop right there!" James interrupted her gently "You're one of the most wonderful little witches I know, and the other one is my own daughter so that means a lot. You're smart, beautiful, funny and strong and you'll become a wonderful woman one day, gorgeous! Even if my dense son can't see it"_

James helped her back to the sofa where Harry immediately wrapped her in his arms again until she calmed down. When she calmed down again, dried her tears and looked around at all the faces she did forget about the last three years. "So tell me: What happened to my memories?" she asked and looked from one to the other. "Dumbledore took them away." Harry answered flatly next to her "Mainly he took all your memories with anyone of us in it or related to us and put them behind a big wall in your mind. It was the easiest way for you not to notice it and at the same time the easiest way to break through. If you would have been away from The Burrow for a long time or in contact with one of us for longer than a certain amount of time, the wall would have crumbled and your memories would have come back – just like it happened today."

He explained and looked into her eyes "He added a kind of repelling charm on you so that whenever one of us would come near to you, we would suffer a major headache and would get sick from it. The Burrow worked as a kind of Battery, you know those cube-things in your dad's shed. The Burrow recharges Dumbledore's spell, so he has to make sure that you all returned to The Burrow every six months." He looked to his father who smiled encouraging at his son "He did this to your whole family" "But why did he do this and why are you all alright with me around right now?" Ginny asked confused and turned towards the others

"The moment you walked onto the property the spell broke bit by bit thanks to very advanced wards. I used a numbing and pain killer charm when I saw you in the village" Lily explained "A moment longer and I would've probably fainted" "Why he is doing all of this: For the greater good" Remus added in his matter of fact tone. Which earned a more confused look from Ginny "He took you away from us for his own goals. To help Neville Longbottom, his golden boy, to destroy Tom Riddle. He was sure that with us in the picture you would never help Neville like you're supposed to in his master plan." James explained in more detail "And because our families were so close to each other, he had to keep you all away from us."

"But how should I be any help to destroy Riddle?" "You remember what I told you earlier, that he believes you'll have power others don't have because…" "I'm the seventh child and first girl in seventh generation" Ginny interrupted Lily and recalled what she told her. "Exactly, so that's why you are important to him. Because he heard a prophecy eight years ago" Lily said with a quick side glance at Harry. "What kind of prophecy?" asked Ginny a bit hesitant. Harry sighed and raked through his hair.

 _"The one born as the seventh of seven in seventh generation…will stand by the Chosen One's side to vanquish the Dark Lord…the flame will get a power many knows not about…together they enlace their powers to vanquish the Dark Lord and prove them wrong…born as a fire and full of colours…"_

Harry recited the words he repeated so many times over the last year since he heard the prophecy for the first time. The room fell silent a moment after that. "I thought prophecies don't have to come true when no one mentioned by it acts on it. They just have to come true completely when a part of it is already fulfilled, but there is no 'chosen one'" Ginny broke the silent and looked helpless around "There isn't a chosen one, is there?" she repeated when no one answered. "There was another prophecy sixteen-years ago, this one Riddle knows about" Harry answered her reluctantly without meeting her eyes.

 _"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other or neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"_

"Then who is the cho…." Ginny wanted to ask but stopped "It's Neville, isn't it?" "Funny enough he isn't, no. See, the prophecy talked about a boy born at the end of July and his parents have fought against Riddle three times. Both of that fit for Neville and for Harry" James explained what caused Ginny to gasped and to grasped Harrys hand tightly.

"What nobody knows is that he came to our house that Halloween 1981 after he killed the Longbottoms and left the unconsciousness Neville behind whom he probably thought to be dead. Nobody knows how Neville really survived it. We fought him at our old house but he hit Harry with the killing curse. He just survived it because of a rather old and experimental piece of magic Lily worked on these days. The curse rebounded and Riddle was gone, at least his body." He finished and his wife grasped his hand more tightly at the reminding of this horrible night and what it did to their family. "Whatever happened to Neville that night, he wasn't marked by Riddle as the prophecy mentioned. He was just another victim who luckily survived and for Dumbledore became the boy-who-lived" Lily finished her husband's explanation. "So, you're the 'chosen one'? You have to…" Ginny asked, turned to Harry again and laced their fingers together "…kill Riddle, yeah" he finished and looked into her eyes with a sad look like he wanted to apologies to her for something but couldn't say it. She just wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a fierce hug "We'll work this out. We have to do this together" Ginny whispered into his ear as she saw how his fate and hers were now completely involved.

After Ginny regained her composure again she kept her head on Harrys shoulder and looked from one to the other "How is Dumbledore able to pull all of this through? I mean you're so many, people would believe you, wouldn't they?" "That's the kind of tricky part, gorgeous. He knows things that nobody else can know about me and my family. Things that would put all of us in immediate danger and if there's one thing I'll do with all my heart, it's to protect my own family." James explained with a hurt and at the same time angry expression in his eyes. "I know you know the tale 'The Three Brothers', so I don't need to tell that again." He continued before she could even ask

"The fact that, this tale is as much a tale as Remus turns into a pink rabbit once a month, is believed by many witches and wizards. And sadly they're right. Those mentioned 'Deathly Hallows', as they're called, really exist and one is in the possession of the Potter family for many generations now and another one came into my possession just last year"

James pulled a familiar cloak out of his pocket and laid it on the table between them. "That's my invisibility cloak and exactly the same cloak from this tale. A young witch with the name Iolanthe Peverell, who came from the village of Godric's Hollow, married Hardwin Potter a long time ago. She was the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell. In the absence of male heirs, she, the eldest of her generation, had inherited her grandfather's invisibility cloak. It was a tradition in her family that the possession of this cloak remained a secret, and her new husband respected her wishes. From this time on, the cloak was handed down to the eldest in each new generation and made his way to me until I'll give it to Harry."

"What won't happen mister until he is off age!" Lily reprimanded her husband with a stern look. "Yes, darling!" he responded and gave her a kiss.

He reached again into his pocket and laid a small black stone next to the cloak "This is the resurrection stone. We found it a year ago and its history is another story to be told, much too long now and there are too many people involved than you need to know right now."

"But there were three 'Deathly Hallows' mentioned in the tale" Ginny enquired "You're right, gorgeous. The third and last one is the elder wand. The most powerful wand ever seen on this earth. Almost every one of its owners died at the hand of another witch or wizard who wanted that ugly piece of wood. Technically I'm its owner, but it's not in my possession. Five years ago, at a time all of us believed and supported Dumbledore, me and him made a pact to secure the power of the wand. He would use the wand he won in the battle against Grindlewald but I would be its true master. So one day I disarmed him and became its master but wouldn't use it. I'm just much more vulnerable than him. If anyone would have recognised the wand in my possession, me and my family wouldn't be safe any longer. But with the wand in Dumbledore's possession nobody would even dare to look a second time at his wand or try to make a move for it. At the same time the wand would never be as powerful as it was meant to be, even for Dumbledore. And so if I would have done anything against his plans he put into action the past years, he would tell that I'm the master of death and with that knowing, none of us would be safe anywhere in the magical world. It came home to us that he planned all of this all long time ago. So I made the decision to protect my own family even if it meant to lose you and your family"

James locked now eyes with her "And I'm so sorry that this happened to you, gorgeous. If I knew then what all of this would do, I would have done things differently. I'm so sorry!" without answering him Ginny stood up, knelt in front of him and took his clasped hands in hers. "What's done is done so let's work rather on a way to get our family out of that mess without to dwell in the past, hm?" she said and smiled at James "That's my girl!" Dora exclaimed happily and brought a smile to the others face.

"I got one last question though." Ginny said as she stood in the middle of the room and everyone looked at her expectantly. "Why didn't you just destroy the stone? When one of the Hallows would be destroyed, nobody could be the 'Master of Death' and Dumbledore wouldn't have anything against you." "See, that's what I'm saying all…" Harry declared and stood up abruptly.

"And we voted against you, 7 to 5!" James retorted exasperated. Lily clutched his arm and tried to calm her husband down "James..." "No, this is through." He said and turned his gaze to Ginny who look totally confused

"Sorry, gorgeous. But no, we can't just destroy it. It might be useful in the future." A dead silence followed.

"So Lils, now that we finished the unimportant topics, how about we start that lovely barbecue? I'm..." "famished!" finished Rose, Remus and Dora Sirius' sentence and broke out laughing. Their laughter seemed to be contagious, the atmosphere slackened and the others joined in.

Harry loved her laughter. To hear her laugh made everything possible and brighter for him. In that moment their eyes met and everything in Harrys body screamed out to touch her and hold her to make sure he wouldn't lose her again but his view was suddenly blocked by his sister who talked to Ginny, took her hand and led her outside the living room before he even could react.

"Harry?" he was broken out of his thoughts when somebody called his name "Harry? I asked if you would help me with the twins? The others take care of the final preparations" James said and looked down at his son. "Sure, dad" he just answered and followed his father to the first floor where Daisy and Daniels room was (just like Roses, his parents, his and another room for when Daisy and Dan would get their own rooms)

"So, what will you do now" James asked his oldest son as they stood in front of Daisy and Dan's crib and watched the two youngest Potters sleeping peacefully. "Ehm…I'll wake them, change their diapers and then get them dressed." Harry answered his dad confused at why he would ask that. "I didn't mean THAT, you nit. I meant Ginny and you. You got not just your best friend but a really pretty and gorgeous girl that is back, not that I never told you that before." He retorted and rolled his eyes "There's not much I can do, is there?" Harry said, let out a deep sigh and raked his hands through his hair.

"It would be selfish to start something with her or to give her hope for a future I probably will never be able to give her so…" "You know that's not true. We're working with everything we have to find a way and I think your mum and Remus found a rather promising piece of magic yesterday at Grimmauld Place." James said and cuddled Daniel.

"Oh, and sorry for downstairs but you know…" "Dad please. Just forget it for today, it's okay. I just want us to be happy tonight and not to think about it." Harry said and made some funny faces at his awaking sister. "And what about the life debt? You surely won't give her to him just like that. You know that after the official records your life debt got priority over his." "Yeah, I know. But I can't just claim her, can I? It would make me somehow as bad as him." "No, because you both would want it. We both know that there wouldn't be anyone else she would rather be bound to than you. You both would do it because you love each other."

Harry didn't answer his father and rather vanished his sister's diapers silently, put a new one on and dressed her again. "I can't tell you what you should do, but I can give you a fatherly advice and please think about it: Don't you think that she would rather have a month, a year or maybe ten happily together with you than never to be loved like she deserves to be?" James asked his son as they both settled the twins on their hips and walked to the door. "It would be more selfish to deny her being happy even for a short time, don't you think?"


	6. We AreFriends

**Author's Note:**  
 **Double-Chapter Day! Wuhuu.  
**  
 **Enjoy!...and don't forget to leave a comment to tell me what you think ;)**

* * *

I loved you from the start  
So it breaks my heart

When you say I'm just a friend to you  
Cause friends don't do the things we do  
Everybody knows you love me too  
Tryna be careful with the words I use  
I say it cause I'm dying to  
I'm so much more than just a friend to you.

\- Just A Friend To You by Meghan Trainor -

 **Chapter VI: We Are...Friends  
**

 _"_ _I can't tell you what you should do, but I can give you a fatherly advice and please think about it: Don't you think that she would rather have a month, a year or maybe ten happily together with you than never to be loved like she deserves to be?" James asked his son as they both settled the twins on their hips and walked to the door. "It would be more selfish to deny her being happy even for a short time, don't you think?"_

When Harry and James came back down everything was ready for a famous Potter Barbecue. Sirius and Remus – with a lot help from Dora – managed to get the grill started and were already barbecuing some spare ribs and filled aubergines.

"There're my beautiful babies" Lily said as she directed four salad bowls with her wand in front of her and took Daniel from her husband. "Somehow mum loves her sons much more than us girls" Rose commented to Ginny as they walked onto the patio. "That's everything but true, sweetheart. I love all of you just the same" Lily said and walked over to Harry who still carried Daisy on his hip. "Ginny, this are Daniel and Daisy. I don't know if you remember me being pregnant, they're turning three in December" Lily introduced the twins to Ginny. "Hello cuties! You're so adorable" Ginny cooed as she took Daniel offered by Lily and stood next to Harry with Daisy on her other side. Daisy and Daniel were fraternal twins but still both got their fathers black hair but Daniel got his dads hazelnut brown eyes and Daisy her mums emerald green ones

"Don't they look lovely, Prongsie? Exactly like you and Lils…just younger" Sirius said what caused Harry and Ginny to throw side glances at each other and to blush "You're just jealous that you can't get you're A.R.S.E. up and make it official with Amy" Harry retorted fighting his blush and sat Daisy in the double high-chair. As he wanted to take Daniel from Ginny's arms they looked at each other and a smile crossed their faces "You should wear a baby more often around, it suits you" Ginny said cheeky and winked at him. "I'll keep that in mind as an advice from my personal fashion assistance" He retorted and winked back at her.

Everyone sat down at the table and left two seats next to each other free for Harry and Ginny what earned him a wink from his godfather and Remus at the same time when he looked at them from across the table. Harry sat next to the twins high-chair on his left. On his right sat Ginny and next to her Rose with James, Dora, Remus and Sirius across them and Lily at the head of the table. The barbecue worked on his own thanks to a bit of magic and everything done came floating over to their plates.

"So Red, is there anything else you want to know?" Sirius asked her while he filled his plate with some grilled potatoes. "Ehm…" Ginny swallowed a piece of bread she just began to eat. "I was wondering what you'll do because of that life debt I have with Neville? I mean I don't intend to even consider to be with him in any kind of way. And if Harry is 'The Chosen One' and I'm the one mentioned in the other prophecy wouldn't it be better if…ehm…Harry and I…ehm…work together" Ginny began to rumble on. "Well that's a really good question. And surely we, as in including you, won't let that happen. If that isn't what you want" Ginny shook her head no "than we will find a way that you don't have to." Lily said and put some mashed potatoes and mashed vegetables in front of Daisy and Daniel. The table fell silent as they all threw side glances at Harry. He swallowed the piece of filled aubergines and cleared his throat. "There's already a plan but it's not really a huge alternative" Harry began what caused James and Sirius to groan in frustration.

Ginny confused at their reaction looked questioning at Harry to continue. "Well, you see it's just that not Neville saved you in the chamber." Harry said and looked down onto his plate "It was me and technically we formed a life debt the moment I was willing to give my life for you." "But they told me Neville…" "Yeah, that's what everybody thinks." Harry continued and looked now into her eyes "You couldn't remember because you were unconsciousness and Ron…well you know what Dumbledore did to your family after that incident." "So, your saying that Neville and I never formed a life debt down in the chamber?" Everyone shook their heads no "But Dumbledore told that everyone and we can't prove them wrong" Remus added. "So the only way right now to…ehm…safe you from a life with him is…I would…ehm…we would…" Harry rambled on and tried to look everywhere but her.

"What my dear brother is trying to say is, that he has to claim you. In front of Goblin Law your life debt is legit and you would be kind of betrothed to him" Rose took over for Harry and continued to eat. "Would you just shut up a second?" Harry retorted angry at his sister and glared at her but everyone ignored their sibling banter except Ginny who quickly interrupted "Why Goblin Law?" "What?" Harry asked confused "That's your only question to this?" Ginny nodded "Life debts and every other form of oath, vow or debt are handled by Goblins. They are more ehm…discreet, reliable in things like that and take them more seriously." Remus answered while Harry still looked flabbergast at the redhead next to him.

"The fact that I have to claim you doesn't worry you?" he asked "Why should it?" she asked and looked at him with a blush creeping up her neck "I mean IF I would decide between you and Neville, that decision would be fairly easy. AND you and I were… are… best friends..." "But this would mean that when I come of age, we would have to marry. You couldn't be with someone else. I mean you could but it…" Harry interrupted her "But what if I don't want to be with anyone else?" Ginny asked determined and looked into his eyes.

Harry cleared his throat still looking intensely at her "I think we should talk about that later… alone" he said and looked around the table where six faces stared at them with knowing smirks on their faces while the twins feed each other rather experimental. "You can all stop giving me that look this instant." He said and continued his meal.

He was startled as a small hand found its way onto his knee and squeezed it gently. Harry looked over and saw Ginnys hand resting there and eating with her right hand. She kept her hand on his knee and drew small circles right above it a while longer. When she wanted to take her hand away Harry grabbed it quickly with his seeker reflexes "I need that hand a moment to reach for the mango sauce" Ginny whispered into his ear as she leaned into his right side. "You'll get it back, I promise" she added and winked at him.

Harry felt a warmth spreading from where her breath tickled his ear down to his toes. He grabbed the mango sauce with his left and held it out for her to put a bit on her plate with her right hand while he still held her left hand in his right. "So you won't let me go if you can help it, hm?" she asked when he put the sauce down again and laced his fingers with hers. "Nope!" he answered and smiled at her.

James watched Harry and Ginny during the barbecue more closely. He knew that Sirius comment before was more than right. It wasn't the look of Harry and Ginny - well his son looked a lot like himself when he was his age and Ginny could easily be a younger version of his wife - but it was what lied within them that was remarkably identical to him and Lily.

He fell in love with Lily the moment he helped her to put her trunk onto the Hogwarts Express - sure it was more a crush an eleven-year old boy had who was fairly self-confident but nevertheless it developed over the years into something so much deeper. With every rejection and 'no' he received he loved her more.

She wasn't one of those giggling girls who fawned over him. She was muggleborn so for her nothing of that pureblood-heir thing mattered. He was just a childish pranking idiot who wouldn't stop asking her out. He loved her and he took every possible opportunity to show her that but he still was a randy teenage boy so he still had his fair share of girlfriends since his fourth year but it never became any more serious than snogging. It may sound cruel but those girls never really mattered to him because he knew one-day Lily Evans would be his.

This he knew for certain since she kissed him the first time at the beginning of their third year and he would never forget that moment. He asked her out again as she walked past his carriage on the Hogwarts Express. Sirius made a silly comment about how he would stop asking her out if she just kiss James so he would get what he wants. In the end she did. She just shared with him her first kiss (like she told him years later) - it was more a peck on the corner of his mouth but nevertheless they were each other's first kiss. And despite that, James never stopped to ask her out.

In the end it took him 276 no's until she said 'yes' after the Christmas holidays during their sixth year. James loved his wife with everything he had, there was never a day he doubted his decision to wait that long because Lily was worth it. For him she was worth more than he could ever possess. The day she said 'yes' on their wedding day, now almost 17-years ago, would always be one of the best of his live - on top with her first 'yes' and the births of their four precious children. And as he watched his son interact with the attractive young with next to him, he knew that his son deserved to experience all of this happy moments, too.

"What about all the details I've missed on your personal live. Especially you two!" Ginny exclaimed what made Tonks to choke on her elven whine.

As the barbecue finished and Lily put the twins down, James put some elven whine, firewhiskey and butterbeer on the table. "Oh Merlin! Not all your dirty details!" she added put Harrys hand over her ears after Remus tried to hide his face behind his glass of firewhiskey and Sirius looked at her like he would explode any moment in anticipation to tell her every detail of his personal live…well and James couldn't stop laughing at his best friend's reactions.

"I take it that he still says 'no'" Ginny asked Tonks who stopped coughing. "We're working more on it. Give me a bit longer and he'll never say those two letters to me" Tonks responded with a look full of mischief written all over her face as she laid her head onto Remus right shoulder.

Remus couldn't complain because he loved to have the young Metamorphmagus near and he knew she was right so he enjoyed those little moments. He lost every argument with her and knew that his arguments against their relationship became for naught over the years.

His age different argument lost its power a while ago.

His poverty argument became in vain after he worked at Hogwarts and took over his new position as a private teacher last year, he earned not the world but definitely enough to take care of a family.

The only argument, his little furry problem, had at least a little effect but somehow even this, she talked into the ground. He couldn't convince her how dangerous he was because funny enough he wasn't. He was around the Potters, their children and so many other people and nothing ever happened. The point was though that he could never live with himself if he would hurt Dora or their future kid and speaking of that: What if their kid would also be a werewolf? He knew that it would still be loved but his life still would be horrible and it would be his fault.

Remus lost his train of thought as Dora also laid her right arm over his hip and pressed her body tight against his side. "Dora please keep it together, there're still children around" Lily said as she joined the others again and sat down next to James (who expanded the chair at the head of the table he sat on) and sipped at her butterbeer.

"Hey!" shouted the three teenagers at that comment "Not you three, I meant Sirius!" Lily answered and winked at Sirius who threw her a threatening look after he realised that she transfigured his glass firewhiskey into a steaming hot coca. "I think it was you who charmed those teenager's glasses, which are filled with elven whine, to look like filled with butterbeer." She said and stood his stare resolute.

"Oh come on Lily flower, just tonight to celebrate. And technically…" James began to calm his wife down and planted soft kisses on her cheek "I don't care what those irresponsible wizard laws say. Those are my kids and I say they are too young to drink anything else than butterbeer." Lily retorted but didn't stop James in his ministration. "But I think tonight everything is a bit different" she gave in with a smile.

"So it's still the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement for the old dog then?" Ginny returned to her actual question and Sirius waggled his eyebrows at her while he sipped at his hot coca to which he added some firewhiskey. "Oh pleeeease!" Rose said and rolled her eyes "Now he starts again with his perfect bachelor life, when he in fact nailed one witch the last five years and both won't admit that they're together for real." "But there could have been many others" Sirius corrected Rose "BUT you don't want anyone else than Amelia!" Rose responded what caused Sirius to throw her the same glare he threw her mother just moments before and his cup of hot coca with firewhiskey transfigured into a beautiful coloured bird and flew away. "Gimme five!" Harry said laughing and high fived his sister behind Ginny's back "You become better each day with this wandless magic stuff!" he exclaimed proudly.

They talked about many things that happened those last three years but somehow Harry never directly talked to her. They still were holding hands but nothing else. "I assume you three will stay here tonight?" James asked Remus, Dora and Sirius but just Sirius answered with a silent salute while Remus and Dora led a whispered conversation.

"And I think you three should hit the pillows." Lily added to the three teenagers and vanished their drinks. Rose already fell asleep on Ginny's right shoulder a while ago "I think you're right mum" responded Harry, untangled his and Ginny's fingers, stood up and walked to his sister's side to pick her up. "She's always right!" James said and pulled Lily tight against his body so that she almost sat in his lap.

Harry smiled at his parents and for a short moment he was reminded that he would probably never have what his parents got. A family on his own and the life with the love of his life by his side. So with this thought he and Ginny bid the others goodnight and he made his way carrying Rose up to the first floor with Ginny walking ahead.

As they climbed the stairs he couldn't not stare at Ginny's backside which swayed right in front of him and felt his body respond to that view immediately. _'Quidditch!Quidditch! The last game, the Harpies won 340-180 against Puddlemore.'_ Harry tried to occupy his mind with quidditch but in vain because then his brain produced the picture of the girl walking in front of him riding his broom watching her from behind with the perfect view of her mind-blowing backside.

Suddenly he stood in the door frame of Rose's room still carrying her and Ginny looking expecting at him from beside the bed. "Will you carry her the whole night or will you lay her down?" she asked him amused. He just cleared his throat, walked over and put Rose on her bed. "Can we talk now?" Ginny asked him standing really close to him. Harry turned his head slightly and somehow he couldn't talk. He looked at her and saw her rosy cheeks and glassy eyes from the alcohol she drank – what just made her deep sea of chocolate brown eyes more intense. So he just nodded, took her by the hand and led her to his room right across from Rose's.

He knew that this talk would be the most important one today. He didn't really know what to tell her. His heart and his own soul told him a total different thing than the rational part of his mind. Which one was the most selfish one? And did his dad's advice not have a point? They could have years together, not a whole life together, but did he really need that when she already was his whole life and so much more to him?

"Soooo…." Ginny broke the silent. She sat on Harrys bed while he stood at the open glass double door that led onto a small balcony. "I don't know what to tell you, Gin" he responded without stopping to look outside. "Let's start at the beginning." Ginny said enthusiastic, stood up and leaned against the other doorframe.

Harry inhaled deep and closed his eyes for a moment. He stood at the open door so that he wouldn't have to look into her eyes and more important not to be surrounded by her scent that much _'Rudy wolf senses!'_ he thought.

"When I followed you down the chamber with the intention to save you no matter what, that you can live even if I wouldn't make it out alive, we formed a life debt because we both survived." Harry paused to order his thoughts. "Life debts are really stupid if you ask me. Just because I would sacrifice my life for you doesn't mean that you owe me one…rather selfish isn't it?" He added and glanced at Ginny and was momentarily paralyzed.

The light from his room flooded her into a golden glow which made her fiery red locks shine in all different shades of red blowing in the soft summer wind. Her skin, still a bit flushed from the elven whine, looked so soft and she looked so stunning that he just wanted to touch her, hold her in his arms and kiss her for the rest of his life. "Either way, somehow during your second year you formed a life debt with Neville. We have no idea what happened. Even our member inside of Gringotts can't look into it. Do you remember anything?"

Ginny thought back to her second year but somehow she couldn't remember any incident with Neville that could have caused to form a life debt "No, I've no idea. Is it important?"

"Not really. It doesn't matter really what happened. The fact that we formed a life debt before you and Neville gives me the right to … claim you first." Harry responded and looked concentrated outside. There was a moment of silence while the two teens were lost in their respective minds.

"When you say you have to claim me, you make it sound like…" she darted like the right words would float around them "…like a curse." Ginny said quietly watching the boy she grew up with more closely. He definitely changed over the last three years. His face, especially his jaw was much more defined and held sharper features but not in a bad way – Merlin, no! – he looked damn sexy and somehow it made him look much older than ordinary nearly 16-year old boys. His shoulders and neck were much broader than she remembered, exactly like his whole chest. He seemed to have build up a lot of muscles but not too much, everything was just really, REALLY firm. And his hair, well it was everywhere. His raven-black hair stood away at the most peculiar angles and looked like made to rake your fingers through.

"It's just your whole life depends on what I do from then on." Harry explained and sighed frustrated. "I could set you free but even that sounds so wrong and like slavery that I just can't do that to you" "But I wouldn't be a prisoner with you. That's what would happen with golden-boy, but we're…"

"Best friend!" Harry interrupted her with what he tried to convince himself they were – nothing else. "Yeah that too, but I meant more like…" Ginny tried again to tell him what was on her mind but he interfered again "Ginny, we're still friends but…" he had to look outside again as he saw the hurt look on Ginny's beautiful face "but we aren't the kids anymore we were three years ago."

"And what about the kids we were one year and seven months ago? At the Yule Ball? That kiss it...it was…you didn't forget it, did you?" Harry just shook his head no without looking at her.

Merlin, how could he forget that moment. It felt so damn perfect. He knew it was just pure luck that on this evening she was away from The Burrow for six months and one day. This one day gave him his love back. For thirty minutes, until they were spotted by Dumbledore and he told her that she and her brothers were allowed to leave for the holidays already via the floo-network this evening, but nevertheless.

"And earlier at the table when you wouldn't let go of my hand. I know that we aren't the same persons like those three years ago but we are still you and me. We're still each other's first kiss. You're still the person who would say stupid things like this just for a stupid noble reason to protect others, even when they don't need to be protected. You're still she boy that sneaked around under his dad's invisibility cloak to get me an early piece of my birthday cake at midnight." Ginny said with her voice full of emotions determined to change his mind, so she stepped now directly in front of him and forced him to look at her with her small and soft hands on his cheeks.

"We're meant to be together, even that stupid prophecy knows that" she whispered, stood on her tiptoes and planted a light kiss on his lips. "I can't, Ginny." Harry said firmly and stepped away towards his bed. Just saying that made his inside burn like fire. "The prophecy says that we have to work together and we'll start your training tomorrow. And to maximize our chances to destroy Voldemort it would be wiser that I claim you, not Neville, but that's your decision. When all of this is over the life debt will be cancelled. It's the only way to protect you right now." He said with his back towards her.

"That's it?" Ginny asked in a small. She recognised that tonight she couldn't win that game. "Training starts at 6.30 with a run down the ocean and along the beach with Dora" Ginny couldn't stand it any longer after that day and stormed out of the room. The moment the door slammed shut, Harry turned around and blinked the mist in his eyes away. He rubbed at a spot slightly above his solar plexus that felt somehow sore, made his way over to the fireplace and vanished inside the green flames.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

As Ginny stormed up the stairs to the 2nd floor and to her room, she didn't even saw Remus and Dora snogging like mad and trying at the same time to open the first door on the left side. Ginny opened the door to her room and nearly fell over the form laying in front of the fireplace where she walked. "Oh Ruffles! I didn't know you'd be there." She said and knelt down next to the black wolf who sat on his hind legs. "At least you let me love you" Ginny added as she pulled her legs underneath her and Ruffles laid his head in her lap and licked her hand lightly while she gently caressed him.

They sat there until Ginny felt her tiredness catching up with her and her mind in a total override. "Come on, boy! Let's go to bed" she said and made her way towards her bed. As she wanted to pull back the covers – Harry in his animagus form jumped on the bed and laid his head on his outstretched paws – Ginny saw a note laying on the pillow.

 _Sweetheart,_

 _I filled your drawer with a few things for you. If they don't fit properly, just tip your wand against them while wearing and they will change.  
And don't worry too much, things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect._

 _Sleep well and I love you  
Lily _

P.S: Hey gorgeous,  
whatever that mutt of a son of mine told you, he will get his act together.  
Remember what I told you, gorgeous!

A small smile formed on her lips and she turned to the drawer. Inside were all kind of clothes and accessories. From the variety of nightgowns, she chose a light one in a soft green that reached just above her knees. Without caring that Ruffles laid on the bed following her with his eyes she started to undress.

With every piece she shed his eyes widened a bit more. "I hope you like the show, boy." Ginny said cheekily and winked at him, but still without the typical glint in her eyes, as she unclasped her bra and Harry was sure that in his human form he would explode right there and then.

A tiny bit of him felt guilty for intruding that moment when she thought he was an innocent wolf but the bigger part of his hormonal teenager mind couldn't care less.

Thanks to a few stupid presents from his godfather he knew how a female body looked like – well how those model bodies looks like – but THAT view was beyond compare. With her fifteen years Ginny was definitely very VERY good developed. If he would have to guess they would fit perfectly into each of his hands and his human mind came up with the most thrilling sceneries involved her perfect breasts.

A deep growl escaped from the back of his throat what startled Ginny as she pulled the nightgown down her body. "You're a really naughty wolf. Watching an innocent girl change." Ginny said as she laid down next to him in the bed and pulled the summer covers over herself.

"You know, I hate to sleep alone after such a day." She said and the black wolf threw her a guilty look with his emerald green eyes. "Merlin, I sound like a little girl. But right now I wish I could be that little girl again I once was. With my best friend laying down with me and telling me some silly story. And now he doesn't even want to look at me anymore at least..." but Ginny's sentence was interrupted as the door to her room opened slowly and Ruffles peaked over her form to the door ready to attack if necessary – his animal mind couldn't accept the concept of security everywhere.

The light at the tip of a wand was the first thing to enter the room followed by Rose bathed in the dim light. "I take it that my stupid brother…" Rose began but stopped as she spotted him lying in his animagus form in Ginny's bed. "…is still a stupid git!" and shot him a disapproving look that Ginny missed as she scooted over to make room for Rose to lay down on her other side. As both settled down facing each other, Ruffles laid his head on Ginny's side while she draped her arm over his neck and scratched him absently.

"He doesn't want me" Ginny said and couldn't stop a solitary tear slide down her cheek. Ruffles whimpered slightly "You know that's not true. He loves you, he always did. It's just really complicated and he thinks this would be the best for you." "You know why he's doing it, don't you?" Rose just nodded and looked the black wolf square in the eyes. "But I CAN'T tell you. I want to but he made me swear not to tell you." Rose added and whipped the tear from Ginny's cheek.

"And now let's forget about that moron and let's sleep. We need to be fit for our first day of training." "You surely…" "Nope, dad thought it would be enough if I train with mum the basics. Harrys training is a bit…rougher. But with you now he can't say that I have to stay out of everything, so he gave in and thought it would be the best for me to be equally prepared as everyone else."

Rose answered and Ginny snuggled closer to her best friend and put her head in the nook of Rose neck. "I'm glad to be back" "I'm glad to have you back, big sister" both fell asleep with smiles on their face.

Harry watched them silently and he wished he could lay there with his arms secure around Ginny and his heartbeat against hers. But he couldn't because he made his decision and now he had to live with the consequences. At least he knew when he wouldn't be any more Ginny had his sister and his whole family by her side. With that thought he jumped from the bed and transformed silently back into his human form. "Coward!" he swore he heard his sisters voice, muffled by Ginny's hair, as he closed the door behind him.

That night, Harry didn't get much sleep. He tossed and turned until he dozed off around four in the morning.


	7. Lost Myself

**_Author's Note:  
For all the lovely readers out there: thank you! It warms my heart to read your comments and to know that you really care for this story._**

 ** _Don't be afraid Harry will get his act together quick enough...maybe ;)  
Enjoy!_**

* * *

 _War is coming,  
I can hear it in my heart  
blood will flow  
along the grounds of the innocent,  
I can't deceive  
the darkness anymore...  
I'm letting go, I'm losing control of myself..._

 _you beat me down,  
so low and now  
I'm crying my soul  
I'm losing control.  
you led me to  
a place where I  
can't feel my face_

 _losing myself..._

 _\- Losing Myself by Remnant -_

 **Chapter VIII: Lost Myself**

 _That night, Harry didn't get much sleep. He tossed and turned until he dozed off around four in the morning._

Bzzz...Bzzz…Bzzz…Bzzzzzzzzzzbzzz.

"oh pleaseeee!" Harry whined as his alarm went off at six o'clock. He knew he wouldn't be able to find any sleep either way so he sat up in bed and scratched behind his ears while yawing. He lost his focus, stared at nothing in front of him and let his arms slump into his lap. How should he survive this day and everyone followed? Somehow without Ginny it was much easier. With her he had something to live for but he knew he couldn't live, if he wanted to get rid of Tom. The past years he accepted his fate. He knew that his family didn't really accepted it. They tried and looked up everything they could but without any results yet. Just with one slimmest hope based on a bed time story. He thought back as he overheard his parents the day before Christmas Eve.

 _Harry wanted to go down to the kitchen and make himself some tea. Another wave of Tom's emotions flooded him earlier while he slept. Even with his Occlumency exercises it happened from time to time, nothing major but it was still a reminder of that 'fucking piece of shit' – how he referred to it - inside of him._

 _Harry stepped onto the landing between the two stairs and heard his mums voice coming from the kitchen. "…but he isn't the same anymore, James!" he could hear the pain in his mother's voice clearly and wondered who this was about. "Darling, listen to me, please! There is nothing right now we can do besides being here for him and giving him all the love we can. This is hurting all of us." He heard his mother sniffling. "You know I talked to him more than once but nothing. He's as stubborn as his mother when it comes to my advices…ouch" His mother must have a good punch Harry thought and smiled._

 _Now he knew that this was about him. He let out a deep sigh and sat down at the landing with elbows on his knees and fingers intertwined. "I want our son back, Jamie!" Lily said pleadingly and it nearly broke Harrys heart to hear his mum like that. Sure his mum was emotional and was known for her temper. There was not much that was hidden from each other in his caring and open family but his mother just wasn't one to cry because of a problem._

 _"When was the last time he really seemed happy and had fun? I can't even remember how his true laughter sounds. We lost him before he…is…even gone!" Lily said with hiccups in between. For Harry it was enough to forget the reason why he came down in the first place and just to hide in his room for doing this to his family._

From then on he tried, especially this Christmas, he tried really hard to behave normally but somehow he forgot what his normal self or better his past-self was. He lost himself and didn't knew how to become that person again. He lost his reason to be normal after his second year, that he was sure of.

He raked through his hair, sighed frustrated, stood up and made his way over to the bathroom adjusted to his room. After taking care of his needs he changed into his training outfit (a tight fitting muscle-shirt and a pair of shorts in black) and left his room to go downstairs.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"Morning sunshine!" Tonks greeted him happily at the patio. "Oh come on Grumpy! Early to bed and early to rise, that makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" "You get laid!" was his respond grumpily. "Yep! And you are jealous that you can't shag your pretty head stupid"

"I don't think that THIS would take long" remarked Ginny chipper walking through the door dragging a still sleeping Rose along. Tonks snorted and winked at her "I see! Where did you left the other four dwarfs? Here we got Happy" she pointed to Ginny "Sleepy" she pointed to Rose who began to drool onto Ginny's shoulder "and lovely Grumpy over there" she said and smiled happily at Harry who just crossed his arms over his chest and glared dangerously at Tonks and Ginny.

"Look! He tries to look dangerous." Ginny said and cooed at Harry like at a two-year-old. But Ginny had to admit that he looked intimidating. With his physique and the stony look on his face in another situation she would probably beg him for mercy for what he could just do with his bare hands. Then to her mind came totally different things she wanted him to do with those hands on her that she nearly joined Rose in drooling all over the place.

"I missed you so much, honey!" Tonks exclaimed and clapped excited. "Can we start or do you have another comment to say" Harry asked annoyed "But Harry, that's what friends are for!" Ginny answered and batted her eyes with a big smile towards him.

They began their warm up with a few sit ups, push-ups and crunches. Harry didn't even begin to breath heavy or to show any kind of fatigue just as Tonks and to their surprise Ginny, she seemed in better form than he thought. Rose woke up mentally somewhere half through the warm up.

Harry had a hard time during their warm up. His decision to stay away from Ginny and not to act on his feelings for her somehow never really reached his body because certain parts of his body reacted pretty hard. The fact that Ginny wore a pretty tight fitting pair of sport leggings, her top hugged her chest rather tight and showed off a bit of her naked skin every time she stretched (added to what he saw last night and would never forget) that did nothing good for his imagination. So he appreciated the chance a lot not to have her in his range of vision while running.

Ginny thwart Harry's plans quickly on the second day as she outran him. While doing this she ran through the water and wet him. "Hey!" "I just wanted to cool you down. You know, that's what friends are for!" she just said and ran in front of him and gave him the perfect view of her backside.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

After that morning and the following day Harry reduced their interaction to the minimum during the training. Ginny took every opportunity to torment him with his own words or just be too close to him. The rest of the family found their little game highly amusing because they knew one day Harry would give in. Everyone except Lily and Rose.

"Mum?" "Yes, Rosie?" The two red heads stood in the potion lab that took over half the basement of their house. The other half was occupied by a duel and trainings room. Rose loved to help her mother with her potions. It fascinated her how a tiny bit from one ingredient could make it a complete different potion or how even simple herbs can alter its effect. And the calming that brewing a potion entails was what Rose loved the most. Also to exactly to know what you have to do next, knowing the preferable outcome and its effect gave her a security that she missed in her everyday life for a long time now.

"Harry behaves like an arsehole." "Rosie…" "No mum, really! He treats Ginny so horrible and at the same time can't stay away from her in his animagus form." Rose cut some goosegrass rather violently.

"Firstly, don't talk like that about your brother. Secondly, that goosegrass is already dead, you don't need to kill it, just cut it." Lily said, took the knife from her daughter and caressed her cheek. "And thirdly, you don't think that your father and I didn't try to talk to him about the last days. But you know as good as anybody else that when your brother planned something in that stubborn head of his, that it takes longer for him to see the fault in it – especially when it comes down to personal things."

"He's so focused on Tom and that fu…" Lily cleared her throat "…fugly thing, that he forgets everything that's really important." Lily knew all of that.

In the last two days since Ginny's return she saw the distance between those two and saw how much it hurt Ginny. She already talked to the younger witch but when she came to the same point as Rose, to tell her the reasons for her son's behaviour she couldn't tell her. It just wasn't right to tell her. Harry made them all swear not to tell Ginny what was happening with him, he would do it. But he didn't and it made Lily unbelievable angry.

"We have to do something mum. It's killing her and I mean that not just as a figure of speech." "I know, Rosie. And I promise that your father and I will try our best" she said, smiled encouraging at Rose and kissed her forehead.

"Oh, Shuuut. The cauldron!" Rose exclaimed and hurried over to her cauldron that started to spill its content all around the potion lab.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"Hey!" Ginny looked to her left and saw Rose taking the seat beside her on the porch swing.

After dinner everyone went their own way. Lily and James made the kitchen after they laid Daisy and Daniel down. Harry went his own way and Rose finished the last bit of her essay for Ancient Runes – and was now finally done with her holiday assignments. Ginny found a book (the German novel 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' by Johann Wolfgang Goethe) and sat down at the porch swing.

"Hey" she greeted Rose back. "What are you reading?" Ginny just hold up the cover "Ah, quite depressing, especially at the end" Rose commented her choice of book and they fell into silence – Ginny staring at the cover and Rose staring at her.

"How about we get you up to date with Hollywood tonight? We could watch a few movies that you missed. If I remember correctly, you loved those movie nights" Rose said enthusiastic, grabbed the book out of Ginnys lap and reached for her hand.

Ginny looked up at her best friend and a huge smile crossed her pretty face. "I'm in!" she just said, grabbed Rose hand and they made their way upstairs.

"What are you two up to?" James asked as he poked his head out of the kitchen. "Movie night." Ginny answered. "Oh great, care if we join you or was this plant as a girl's night?" he asked walked towards the stairs where they stood on the landing. "But dad, your already dressed properly for a girl's night." Rose answered sweetly and Ginny had a hard time not to laugh out loud. "What do yo…" but he stopped mid-sentence as he took a look at himself. He was dressed in a pink flannel pyjama with jumping stags on it.

"Prongsy, you told me all those years that you wasn't into wands." Sirius exclaimed with an amused look on his face as he entered the parlour with Remus and Dora which were already laughing like mad. "Ha, ha…funny you old mutt. Now change me back." James said and tried to be heard above the laughter from his wife and the others. "That wasn't me!" Sirius said between laughter.

"I'm proud of you. The marauder's 2.0 are getting us boys." Remus said and reached up to high-five his goddaughter. "Thanks, uncle Monny!"

James groaned but had a hard time to hide his look full of pride. She was her father's daughter through and through. "What are you three even doing here?" Lily asked as she stood beside her husband and couldn't resist to pinch his backside.

"Two little red birds told us something about a movie night" Dora said as she excitedly joined Rose and Ginny at the landing. "All right, everyone up and I'll bring something to drink along." Lily ordered the others around again. "Oh and Remus, Sirius? Cute Pyjamas" Lily added winked at them and walked back into the kitchen to get them some drinks.

"Why did you have to marry her, Prongs?" Sirius asked as he looked disgusted at the same pyjama James wore, just with little stars on it and for Remus with moons.

They walked up to the second floor and took the first door on the right Ginny was shocked. Behind the door was a huge room that contained two big sofas and a few armchairs and ottomans around the room. On one wall hung a huge screen for the video projector which was connected with a VHS player, a DVD player and two consoles – a Super Nintendo Entertainment System and a PlayStation. The two windows that overlooked the path towards the village were hidden behind dark red curtains.

"The equipment changed a bit over the last three years" Ginny remarked as she sat down at one of the huge sofas in front of the screen and still looked around. "But it's sooooo worth it!" Rose responded happily standing next to the shelf that contained all the VHS and DVD.

"So which…." "Braveheart!" Dora screamed and interrupted Rose "Oh come on. You know that movie in and out" Sirius said from his seat in one of the armchairs still in his pyjama. "It's still great." She defended herself.

Just as she wanted to sit down next to Remus at the other sofa, her outfit changed into a pyjama, too. "I don't wear something like this" she said mock angry and turned to look at Rose and Ginny who were also in one of those pyjamas and pointed at Remus. "No, you don't wear that much at night" He said waggled his eyebrows and pulled her towards him.

"Bad wolf, Moony!" James said cheerfully followed by a wolf haul from him and Sirius.

"Darling, could you lend me a helping hand here?" Lily asked from the doorway after she placed the drinks on the table. "Sure, baby" he said and walked over to her.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"Ready?" "As I'll ever be" James smiled lovingly at his wife and kissed her forehead. They opened the door to the trainings room in their basement and were met with a picture of pure destruction. Pieces from dummies laid all around the room. In the middle of the room laid a sword on the floor that reflected the dimmed neon light.

"Harry, sweetheart?" Lily approached her son and turned the music off with a flick of her hand. "Hey!" he just answered breathing heavily. He stood slightly ahead from where the sword lay. His shirt was totally soaked in sweat and it dripped down his forehead.

James grabbed a towel from the stack next to him and threw it over to Harry. "Thanks, dad." He looked amused at his dad's attire and had to smirk. He caught his son's look "Your sister. We thought you might want to join us for a movie night. Remus, Dora and Sirius are there, too" James asked and picked up the sword. It was the sword of Gryffindor. "Naah, I know most of them already and wanted to try something I read about this morning." He responded and vanished the pieces from the destroyed dummies all over the room.

"Why are you doing this, son?" James asked and put the sword back on its place next to the sword of Slytherin. "YOU, trained me to fight with a sword and I just wanted to practise while you…" Harry started to explain but was interrupted by his mother "Oh stop it Harry! You know what your father meant!"

Lily wasn't the type of mother that got easily angry with her kids or annoyed in any way but that person in front of her, right now, wasn't really her son.

"You treat Ginny, your best friend, the girl you told me you would once marry, like she's nothing to you." She took a step towards him and somehow his mother seemed much more intimidating than ever before. She didn't scream or raised her voice. The edge in her words made it much more effective than screaming.

"You treat your whole family as if we were too stupid to understand you. Everything you say is just 'You don't understand it!' But do you want to know something?" Harry just stared at his mother and gulped "We understand you! You weren't the only one that lost the other half of his family. We lost everything the same and we swore to get through this together. As a family!"

James stood slightly behind his wife and just listened. He saw that everything Lily said hit home. He saw how his son's face fell and his eyes took over a hurt and look full of so many other emotions he rarely saw the last three years in those pair of emerald-green eyes. He knew Lily good enough to know that she was nowhere near to finished with their son.

"I don't give a damn about how many pieces of Tom's soul are inside you or on what stupid plan you set your mind on this time, but I won't let you give up before you even tried to survive this. I have no idea how you can accept that you have to die and live the last years of your live like this but I won't let that happen. This tonight IS family-time. We have no idea how many of those nights we got left together, because I'm always afraid that one of you won't come back home." Lily closed her eyes and inhaled deeply "So please, give me my son back. I can't give him up."

As he looked into his mother's eyes again it felt like all of his insides were pierced with thousand knives.

Her emerald-green eyes, his eyes, sparkled with tears that rolled down her cheek. "Please. Be yourself again." She wasn't just pleading him with her words but with her whole being. "Please!"

Harry walked towards his mother and wrapped his arms around her. He buried his face in her neck and felt his own tears soaking her auburn hair.

"I'm so sorry, mum" he croaked out and felt her gripping him tighter like her life depended on it. "I love you so much" she said, kissed his forehead and whipped his tears away with the pad of her thumbs. James joined in and they remained in their three-way hug for a few minutes.

"We'll find a way. I promise you" his father said as he kissed the side of his head and pulled him closer. Harry just nodded and bathed in the feeling having his parents so close. He couldn't imagine how his life would have been without them. They were his anchor and he had no idea how he could be such a prick the last years.

"I need to sort things out tonight. Think about it, you know." Harry said as he untangled himself from his parents. "I'll be back tomorrow and tell Ginny everything." "Don't you think you should just talk to her now?" Lily suggested. "Give him this night, Lils. He can calm down and from tomorrow there'll be no running away anymore."

Harry took that with a smile and silent salute. "Then I think I'll grace my big brother with my appearance." He added as he walked with his parents to the ground floor. "Tell him I told you that he has to come over more often!" Lily told him as he walked into the living room. "I will, mum." He responded before he vanished in the green flames.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"C'est magnifique. Oh, Bill. Zees is it. N'arrêtez pas, chéri." Was the first thing that met Harry's ears accompanied with the picture of Bill having his head buried between Fleurs legs and her squirming on the sofa that stood in front the fireplace he just entered through.

"'Arry" Fleur screamed as she opened her eyes and saw him standing there with his hands over his eyes. "What?" Bill asked shocked and lifted his head. "Hi, big brother. I should've called through first." Bill wheeled around and saw Harry standing there waving at him and still covering his eyes with his other hand.

He heard the rustling of clothes, their little discussion why the other didn't sealed the floo and after Bills "You can" he uncovered his eyes. "Hi, again." He said sheepishly. "Your timing could've been better, o brother of mine!" Bill said a bit annoyed as he did the last button on his shirt.

For Bill all four Potter children were just as much his brothers and sisters as his own. They grew up with each other and he didn't differentiate between any of them. As the first child, he saw all of them grew up from the beginning and loved them just the same as any Weasley. Lily and James even asked him to be Daisy and Daniels godfather and he was more than happy to accept.

"What a greeting, it's great to see you, too" Harry responded and winked at Fleur. "Still it is good to see you, 'arry" she said sweetly, smiled still flushed at him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "I make us zome tee." Fleur added and walked to the other end of the room where the kitchen was.

The whole room was rather big and contained the kitchen with the dining table and the living room. Just three doors led out of the room. One towards the bedroom, the one next to it towards the bathroom and the last door, next to the fireplace, led outside the flat into the oceanic summer weather outside. The right wall gave an amazing view over the rooftops of Rennes, the regional capital of Brittany in the west of France. A year ago Bill transferred to the French branch of Gringotts where he was offered the position as head curse breaker. The fact that Fleur applied for a job in his department at the same time was rather … coincidental just as much as he fact that her family lived just outside of Rennes.

"I hope her mouth wasn't occupied otherwise before" Harry said after they greeted each other what earned him to get smacked in the back of his head.

Harry loved to spent time with Bill. It always gave him the possibility to see things from the distance and overthink. Bill wasn't always involved in his everyday family life so he knew he could always count on Bill, if he needed a much more impartial point of view.

Somehow Dumbledore never thought about that Bill and Charlie not visited The Burrow very often due to their jobs oversea. Because Bill and Charlie visited after the incident with Ginny and the chamber, they were also under Dumbledore's spell. But as they didn't return after the six months were over Charlies memories returned and contacted Bill directly.

Bill was more fortuned as he had to be tested for spells or curses due to his work for Gringotts and as he discovered what happened to his memories and by whom, he directly contacted the Potters who told him everything.

From then on Bill and Charlie worked together with the Potters and their extended family to free the rest of their family from Dumbledore's spell and at the same time fight against Riddle and his minions.

"Mum will be so smug to see that she was right." Harry said as he and Bill joined Fleur at the kitchen table and Bill instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him. "I told 'er zat I would not even need my magic on 'im" Fleur responded and smiled happily at the man next to her.

Bill and Fleur met for the first time when she was 16 and he 22, on the weekend before he turned 23 in November 1993. James and Lily started to get as many people on their side as they could in the beginning and thanks to a business relationship that connected the Potters and Delacours they were already befriended to the family. So one week in November they met with Bill at the Delacours to ward their house properly.

Fleur was at home for two days and they met for the first time. Bill thought her to be a spoiled and very self-centred little girl in the beginning. And Fleur's complete impression was … well it was impressive.

 _Bill studied the property sketches to plan how he could achieve the most powerful wards and everything required, for example how many crystals and which one he would need and so on. While doing this he suddenly felt some magic pulling at him but without an effect. He didn't need to turn around as he already knew what it was. "Miss Delacour, could you please stop trying to use your Veela magic on me. I need to concentrate."_

 _He turned now towards the younger, but he had to admit extremely beautiful, witch. " 'ow.." "I'm trained in sensing magical signatures and magic itself and thankfully I'm also trained in resisting some forms of them" he explained before she could finish her question. "So, you don't need to waste your magic on me to get my attention, even if you seem to need it." Bill said and continued his work._

 _Everything was just so stressful, since two months ago, for him that he couldn't stand it to be prevented from doing his work. The only thing he could do without going totally nuts._

 _After he found everything he needed he turned towards Fleur again. "Could you please leave the room. I need to calibrate the crystals for them to work properly." "You said zat I could…" "I said you could stay and watch, if you turn out your magic but you not seem to be able to so, please, leave." Bill interrupted her again._ _"Zat is effarant !"_ _"_ _Oui, s'il vous plaît quittons la pièce_ _?" Bill asked her again and startled her as he spoke in perfect French._

 _She found her composer again huffed, crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "_ _Puis-je vous poser une question_ _?" Bill asked after they stared at each other for a moment. "Oui" "Do you have a low self-esteem or why do you have to keep up your magic all the time?"_

 _Fleur was so pissed off with what he just asked that she stormed out of the room and was happy that she never has to see him again._

But they met again a year and seven months later at the night Voldemort returned during the fourth task of the Triwizard Tournament. Neville Longbottom was used in some kind of ritual to bring Voldemorts body back. The boy barely survived this thanks to James and his teams of Aurors who were able to track him down quick enough. James and Lily get everyone together to make plans at their place and the Delacours were there, too.

Bill said he was sorry how he treated her and explained his situation then and she told him how right he was. They stayed awake that night and just talked. Fleur told him how she always thought that nobody would genuinely like her for who she really was and rather just react to her magic that just naturally leaked out from time to time. That night they became friends and barely a year later they were officially a couple.

"So, what brings you here?" Bill asked. Harry raked through his hair and started to tell them everything that happened the last days. "She's really back?" Bill just asked him as he finished obviously happy about having his baby sister back. "Yes, and I have no idea yet how I should talk to her about everything." Harry responded frustrated and banged his head on the table

"Listen to your 'eart, 'arry." Fleur suggested and he just groaned. If he would have done just that from the beginning, he wouldn't have to worry about it now. But he knew she was right.

"Would it be alright if I stay here tonight? Then I could get everything early in the morning and go straight home to talk to Ginny." They said yes and after he took a shower he laid down on the sofa he expanded – and cleaned – with two motions of his hands.

That night he also didn't get much sleep, but in anticipation that tomorrow he would get his live back and fight for it, no matter what. he would be himself again.

* * *

Don't forget to tell me what you think ;) xx


	8. Grow Old With You

_Another day  
Without your smile  
Another day just passes by  
But now I know  
How much it means  
For you to stay  
Right here with me_

The time we spend apart will make our love grow stronger  
But it hurts so bad I can't take it any longer

A thousand miles between us now  
It causes me to wonder how  
Our love tonight remains so strong  
It makes our risk right all along

 _Things can come and go I know butnow but  
Baby I believe  
Something's burning strong between us  
Makes it clear to me_

I wanna grow old with you  
I wanna die lying in your arms  
I wanna grow old with you  
I wanna be looking in your eyes  
I wanna be there for you  
Sharing in everything you do  
I wanna grow old with you

 _-I Wanna Grow Old With You by Westlife -_

 **Chapter VIII: Grow Old With You**

 _That night he also didn't get much sleep, but in anticipation that tomorrow he would get his live back and fight for it, no matter what._

It was the morning of the 30th July that found Ginny in the kitchen splashing about in the bowl of cereals in front of her. James was at work just as Lily who was needed at St. Mungos this morning.

After finishing Hogwarts Lily applied directly for a job at the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable where she was accepted immediately due her extraordinary grades. She worked in a special group without anyone knowing what they did. Even she couldn't talk about it 13 years after she left the program. After that she completed her Master of Potion. Since then she worked as a potion mistress for St. Mungos and ran a service for families and people who couldn't afford certain potions or stuff like that.

James was named as Head Auror five years ago and he shared that position with Sirius now for three years. James step back a bit after Daisy and Daniel were born to have more time for his family and to still a bit of Lily's fears that one day he wouldn't return from a mission. It didn't matter to him. His work wasn't his life, he lived for his family and they were his priority.

Rose was still taking a shower, probably fell asleep again, after their workout. And Harry, well he vanished yesterday to who-knew-where.

They watched 'Braveheart' and afterwards 'Forrest Gump'. Ginny really loved both movies but hate them at the same time. They were just so emotional and full of tragic love that she just couldn't stop herself from thinking about her and Harry.

Why did he have to treat her like this? It was just so bloody horrible. She loved him and he knew that. She always thought that he loved her too but apparently he didn't. He didn't seem to be attracted to her at all. How should he even be?

Earlier, after she took a shower, she stood in front of the mirror in her room almost 30 minutes just clad in her underwear and stared at the girl in the mirror. There was nothing really attractive on her. With her clashing red hair, all those horrible freckles over her body and her pale skin she looked anything but beautiful. She wasn't even build like other girls in her year. Her breasts were just barely recognisable and there was nothing curvy on her.

So she understood now why he made it sound so horrible to 'claim' her. He didn't want her. He probably had a girlfriend somewhere and just told nobody about it because he felt obligated to help her. She probably was just breathtakingly beautiful and wasn't the childhood friend he has to help out. She probably was independent, strong and not an emotional wrack as her.

Ginnys mind wandered to her family at The Burrow. James told yesterday during dinner that he was approached by Dumbledore who asked if he would know where she was right now. His answer was 'no' as he really didn't know where exactly Ginny was at that moment, but somewhere near his house for sure. Dumbledore told him that her family was really worried about her. How worried were they really or how much was just due to Dumbledore's spells? What would happen if she returns to The Burrow?

It was everything so complicated but Ginny was interrupted either way as she realised that she was floating in front of the twins' play pen. "Well you two little magicians!" she said still hovering above their heads with her hands on her hips. "Gin, fly like Hawwy" Daniel exclaimed happily and clapped enthusiastic with his little hands. "Will you let me down again?" "NOOOOO" both answered and losing themselves in a fit of giggles that caused Daisy to lose her balance and to fall back onto her butt. " Yuu clumsy like aunti Dowa" Daniel said and turned towards his sister to help her up. Without the attention of the twins on her she found herself also falling on her butt. Without a blanket underneath and from that height it hurt a bit more. 'No wonder with that skinny arse of yours' she thought to herself.

"Well, that was amusing!" Ginny wheeled around towards the entry where her potions teacher stood "Sir, what are you doing here?" she asked confused and searched her memories for anything to indicate that he was a part of the Potters personal life before. As she remembered that the potion teacher was indeed friends with the Potters she relaxed visibly. "You know that Dumbledore is going crazy right now. He became rather…vivid in his old days"

Severus walked over to the table, sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. His appearance was quite casual and looked nothing like his teaching-self she was used to. He was dressed in a dark blue sweater and black jeans but most of all the missing look of disgust across his face made him look more different. "I take it that Harry forget to tell you that we start your mind training today?" Ginny just nodded as she took her seat again (across from him) and kept an eye on the twins. "He wouldn't tell me what day is today, if his life depends on it" she added and took a sip from her coffee. Severus thought how fitting it was what she said. "He's a Potter. He's meant to do stupid things."

"Hey! We're not all that bad" threw Rose in as she walked into the kitchen, her hair still slight damped and greeted her sister and brother. "Sev is right. That's the Potter-Male-Syndrome, commonly known as PMS" Lily joined into the conversation and caused everyone else to laugh. Ginny just managed a small smile. "Could you look over a recipe for me later?" she asked Severus as she scooped Daisy and Daniel out of their play pen and took them by the hand. "Sure. We'll be done in an hour or so"

Severus Snape was a man who made many mistakes in his life, most of them in his teenage years. He called his best and only true friend a Mudblood and lost her. He joined Voldermorts followers not out of conviction but out of fear and obligation to his Slytherin "friends". His loyalty never really lied with Voldemort. He just took the Slytherin way out, be a part of it but keep your own head and name out of it.

When he overheard the prophecy together with that coward Pettigrew he knew that he had to take another path. Pettigrew listened to the first part of the prophecy and was so exhilarated that he took off immediately to tell Voldemort. Severus listened to the whole Prophecy and knew what he had to do. Warn Lily. A small part also did it to thank Potter for saving him during their sixth years from Blacks stupid joke to lead him to the shrieking shack while Lupin was in his werewolf form. Bur most of all he did it for Lily.

He told them everything he overheard. He even tried to tell them about Pettigrew but wasn't able due to a spell from the dark lord that prevented them to reveal each other.

First of all, they didn't want to listen to him but as he was willing to make an unbreakable vow he convinced them. From then on he was able to revive his friendship with Lily and even to get along with James and Remus. He and Sirius were a total different story – they just were like cat and dog.

"I would say we start with a few basics…Miss Weasley?" Severus wanted to begin but Ginny just stared out of the kitchen window like she just saw a ghost. Her beautiful pale face turned white like a piece of chalk and she felt like somebody just ripped out her heart.

There, just walking through the iron gate, walked Harry with one of the most beautiful girls she has ever seen. The blonde beauty had her right arm linked through his right and hold a bunch of yellow tulips and orange-red gladiolus in her other hand. Ginny's favourite flowers.

Ginny's heart raced like mad and her ears were filled with an unpleasant ring. But she couldn't care less. Harry looked like he couldn't be any happier with the other girl on his arm and the world collapsed on Ginny.

Rose heard his brothers voice outside the open kitchen window and was happy to see him smiling like that again. The fact that Fleur accompanied him made this day even more better. Rose and Fleur became really good friends over the last years. She appalled from Ginny's glas shatter on the floor. It dawned on her what this most look like to her. She tried to catch Ginny's wrist but she was acting like on autopilot and dashed out of the kitchen without responding to Rose and Severus calling her over and over again.

Ginny took two steps at once and stormed into Rose room. She grabbed one of the brooms that she and Rose wanted to polish after breakfast, mounted it and through her tears flew directly through the open double-glass door that led onto Rose's balcony.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"Ginny! Come back!" screamed by his sister from above caused Harry to look into the sky and what he saw made him want to curse like a sailor. Ginny flew away and it just didn't look like she wanted to come back any time soon.

Without to really think about it Harry just ran towards the carport where his parent's cars stood – his father's '85 Aston Martin V8 Vantage in claret and his mother's '95 Jeep Wrangler in yellow – and lifted the invisibility charm that laid on the motorcycle he was legally allowed to drive not until tomorrow, his sixteenth birthday. He mounted the red Harley Davidson 1984 FXST Softail, that he and Sirius worked on over the last year whenever he was at home, and without any hesitation followed Ginny.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"He's not allowed to drive that motorcycle until tomorrow." Remarked Severus as he stood inside the entry with Rose, Lily and Fleur. All three women just looked at him like he had two heads. "THAT'S not my biggest concern!" Lily responded and lightly punched his shoulder as she walked determined towards the study to contact James.

"Welcome back!" Rose said and smiled apologising at Fleur. She already opened her mouth to respond but just in that moment Bill came running out of the forest next to the house where he wanted to look after the wards that he placed around the property.

"What happened?" he asked the two witches trying to catch his breath. "I just heard someone calling Ginny to come back" "Let's go inside. Mum is probably hitting the ceiling." Rose just said and the three walked into the study where James just came out of the fireplace.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Normally Harry's motorcycle was anything but the kind that he was allowed to drive at the age of sixteen in Great Britain, but with a bit of magic to every Muggle it looked like a motorcycle with a design speed of less than 45 km/h. Even without features like the invisibility, flying or high speed boast this would've been a case for Arthur's department for sure.

He was grateful that Ginny chose to follow the road that lead through the countryside towards Otter St. Catchpole. He had no idea why she was running – well rather flying – away. Well, sure he knew what a prick he was the last days but he never thought that she would rather continue the life she had at The Burrow under Dumbledore's spell, than with his family. But that wasn't important now, he needed to stop her before they were too close to The Burrow.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

She wanted the best for him. If he was happy with his beautiful girlfriend, then she was the last person to stand in his way. This didn't mean that she could stop loving him. She was hopelessly in love with Harry since she could think. She didn't know anything else than his love and she didn't want to know anything else.

He was her best friend they shared secrets that never even Rose knew of. And all of this made it impossible for her to be near him without to be able to love him.

While all of this whirled around in her mind she also saw the future she always dreamed of to have with Harry.

Him kissing her.  
Him standing at the altar and watching her walking down the aisle.  
Him kissing her pregnant stomach.  
Him holding their kid.

When there was one thing Ginny was sure of, then that she would grow old with Harry. But now he had this blonde woman by his side.

Before even any tear could roll down her cheek, they were whipped away by the wind. Just like all her dreams and hopes that were whipped away and everything that was left behind was a blurry view.

It took her about 30 minutes till she could make out the distinctive features of her childhood home in the distance. She knew that it wasn't right, but it was easy.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Harry looked one last time up and saw Ginny blocked from his view by some trees which told him that around the next corner he would be at the edge of the property he visited the last time three years ago.

As he rounded the corner of the little forest he saw Ginny dismount the broom, still unaware of her pursuer, but not at the edge like he hoped. No, she was already halfway between The Burrow and him.

He quickly used a numbing and pain killing charm on himself that would hopefully be strong enough. Just right in time to feel just a lightly shiver running down his spine as he crossed the edge.

"GINNY!" he screamed with all the power he could find. His whole skin seemed to be penetrated with millions of needles and he lost control over his motorcycle which he just let fall down as he tried to pull himself together. "PLEASE STOP! GIN!" he screamed again but as he took another step forward his whole body felt like being on fire and he couldn't stand any longer.

"GINNY!" he croaked and felt the blood trickle out of his nose as he lay on the floor "Please!" he sobbed. "Accio Ginny." he rasped, held out his hand and coughed out blood.

Ginny snapped out of her trance as she felt something pulling on her, like she was attached to a fishing pole. She heard his pleading that she should stop and him calling her name over and over again. She turned around and her heart seemed to stop – the second time this day.

Harry lay on his side towards her breathing heavily with half of his face covered in blood just like the rest of his body. She ran the short distance towards him with every thought of the other woman forgotten.

"Harry" she whispered totally shocked. It seemed that his blood just spilled out non-stop. "Gin" he rasped "Love you" and he reached up to touch her cheek. "Harry, just hold on. I will get help and…" But before she could finish the sentence they disappeared and reappeared in the middle of the parlour inside The Den.

"Help!" Ginny screamed without missing a beat. "Everything will be alright" she said - more to reassure herself - and caressed his face with a trembling hand.

"Oh Godric, Harry!" was the last thing that Ginny really perceived and that somebody said to get someone named 'Andy'. A moment later Harry closed his eyes still gripping the necklace around his neck with one hand while the other hold Ginny's hand.

Ginny was so traumatized that she started to scream and kick as Bill grabbed her around the waist and picked her up to get her away from Harry. Dora tried to help him but in vain so she just stunned her.

"Rose! Rose can you help me with Ginny? She needs you now." Dora tried to get Rose's attention. She stood together with Fleur on the landing and watched as James and Remus levitated Harry towards the study.

Rose looked somehow confused at Dora as Fleur already followed Bill upstairs to help with Ginny. "Can you do that?" Dora ask again and just received a nod. Rose walked up the stairs with Dora by her side but looked back at the place where her brother just laid moments before where now just remained a puddle of his blood.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

The next thing Ginny knew, was that she stared up into a flawless sky. Where was Harry? Was the first coherent thought her mind was able to produce. She sat up confused and looked around for him but everything she saw was the meadow she declared 'her safe place' at the age of six. It lay behind the pond down The Burrow. This place was one of the things only Harry knew about. They always joked about how they would only move out from home, if they could build their own house right there.

Everything Ginny heard was the splashing of the stream that leads into the pond and the chirping and rustling of some birds in the trees. She stood up and was more confused. She wore some white dress that looked like somebody had a bed sheet draped over her and was barefoot. The slightly damp grass flicked the sole of her foot as she slowly walked towards the gap between some trees that leads to the pond.

"Hello, my daughter." A melodic voice stopped her mid-way. Ginny turned around and saw a woman standing in the middle of the meadow. The woman standing before her looked unbelievable majestic. She had red hair that looked to be on fire and her face looked like the face of an angel. She held her body with so much grace that she looked much bigger than the 6 foot she seemed to be.

"Who are you?" Ginny asked with all the confident she could muster up. "I'm Vis, o' daughter of mine, the source of your power." The angelic woman answered and walked towards her. With her long dress - which looked like the one Ginny wore just gold-and-red-embroidered from the bottom, so it looked like it was soaked - that pooled around her feet she seemed to be gliding over the ground.

"What am I doing here?" "I called you to me. Like I did all those years ago after you brought the young warrior with you. But right now, myself is here to help you safe your young warrior." Vis answered Ginny's question and stood now directly in front of her.

Ginny watched warily as Vis reached out and put a lock of her own red hair behind her ear. "Use all your mighty powers we graced you with, daughter. Use them to safe his soul and then you and me shall meet again." She said mystically and kissed Ginny's forehead.

The moment Vis' lips touched her skin and Ginny closed her eyes she didn't feel the grass beneath her anymore and the birds stopped chirping.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

The door opened and he turned back in his chair towards the sleeping form of his sister laying on the bed. "How's Harry doing?" Bill asked Fleur and laid his head onto her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him from behind and caressed his chest soothingly. "Lily is changing 'is bandage at zee moment." Fleur answered. Bill untangled her arms and steered her over so that she could sit down in his lap. "I love you" he mumbled and kissed her lightly. Seeing is sister so devastated was killing him. "Je t'aime, aussi." She answered lovingly and caressed his handsome face.

Just as Fleur said this Ginny stirred in the bed. Bill stood up carefully, so not to throw Fleur down, and bend over his sister. "Hey, Firefly." He smiled down as his little sister as her eyes fluttered open.

"Billy?!" Ginny croaked out confused - she must have screamed pretty loud earlier. But her confusion was nothing compared to what she felt as she was offered a glass of water from her other side by the beautiful blonde that she saw with Harry. "Harry!" she exclaimed panicked as an image of him covered in blood came to her mind.

"He's recovering now, nothing life threatening anymore." Bill calmed her down immediately and caressed her hair. "Billy, I don't want her here" Ginny said with tears in her eyes as she glanced at Fleur who still hold out the glass to her. "Oh Firefly, this is Fleur. She's my fiancée." The look of complete confusion was written all over Ginny's face as she glanced between her brother and the woman he thought to be Harry's girlfriend.

"'Arry is nozing but like a brozer to me." Fleur said gently as she sat the glass down onto the night-stand and held Ginny's hand in hers. "But…I saw…" Ginny tried to comprehend her thoughts that caused her to fled earlier with what she was told now. "You saw just Harry and Fleur because I was occupied with the wards. Harry stayed with us last night and wanted everything to be perfect for today when he would come crawling back to you and ask you for forgiveness for being such a prick." Bill answered and motioned to the bunch of yellow tulips and orange-red gladiolus, she saw holding Fleur earlier, now sitting in a vase on the night-stand.

Ginny teared up again. She needed to see him, to see if he was alright. She needed to be near to him. Bill saw Ginny's frantic look towards the flowers and the door. "Don't panic, Firefly. You can see him, I'll come with you." He said and helped her out of the bed.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"Godric, do you want me to die of a heart attack!" Lily exclaimed as she wanted to open the door to leave Harry's room and bumped into Ginny and Bill. "Sorry, aunt Lily." Bill said but Lily didn't even pay him any attention as she was occupied to pull Ginny in a hug and reassure her that Harry would be alright again.

"His wounds will need a few days to heal properly and hopefully won't leave any scars at all. He will stay asleep probably until tomorrow morning though, but I think with you by his side he could be more lenient with his beauty sleep." Lily told gently as Ginny sat down on Harry's bed, took his hand tightly in hers and caressed his forehead.

"If you need anything or something happens, just call for one of us. We're leaving the floo open and you can activate it calling one of our names" Lily explained before her and Bill left to give her some time alone.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

He looked so pale. His bare chest was almost completely covered in white bandages and his wrist were also covered in the same white bandages. Everything just smelled so clinical. Just so not like Harry.

It felt like that Ginny stared at Harry endlessly and mumbled unintelligible things. Some when later she stood up and walked around the room while still talking to him.

The right wall next to the door was occupied by a huge four poster bed and the two night-stands. Halfway along the wall next to the door stood a long sideboard with some smaller racks above. Some photos and even some pictures were placed all over this part of the room accompanied with some candles. Ginny recognized a few pictures that she drew herself. There were many photos with Harry and her in it but also quite a lot with the other Weasleys and the expanded Potter family.

Across from the door was a huge double-glass door located that lead onto a small balcony from where you could overlook the whole garden and had a magnificent view towards the forest and over the fields that lead down the ocean. Also on that wall stood a desk with some books and parchment spread around.

The left wall to the door contained a door that leads towards the adjusted bathroom and a nook that held a huge wardrobe. In between stood a small fireplace with two huge bookshelves from floor to ceiling full of books and magazines that she knew were his collection of 'Qudditch Today' – the Quiddtich magazine that comes out every month – on either side.

His whole furniture was made of oak wood and his wall was painted in a deep claret. The dark hard wood floor was partially covered with a huge and soft grey rug.

As Ginny sat down again at his side she saw the photo on his night-stand properly for the first time. It was from their first moment together.

 _"Lily, we want you to meet your beautiful goddaughter, Ginevra Molly Weasley" Arthur exclaimed and almost burst with happiness and pride for his little baby girl._

 _It was the 11th August 1981 and James, Harry and a heavily pregnant Lily who was due any day now visited Molly, Arthur and new born Ginny Weasley._

 _Lily immediately sat down in the chair next to Molly's bed and opened her arms for Arthur to place her beautiful goddaughter in it. Without missing a beat, she started to coo over the new born like mad. "If your mummy wasn't pregnant already, she would probably make daddy very happy the next days." James said to his son he carried on his hip._

 _"Congratulation, Arthur." James said and hugged the other man after he sat Harry down. The little man directly waddled over where his mummy sat and steadied himself with his little hands on her knee. "mama baby" he babbled and looked in awe at the bundle in Lily's arm._

 _"Mummy is going to have a baby, too. But mummy's baby is still in mummy's tummy." Lily told her infant son. "Let's say 'hi' to Ginny, Harry." Lily said after she placed Ginny on the blanket – that was spread on the bed next to Molly – and James placed their son next to her._

 _Totally in awe Harry reached out with his little chubby hand but appalled a bit as the little witch started to cry, she just hated it not to be hold. But Harry quickly but gentle took hold of her smaller hand "hi" he just said and smiled down at Ginny. She immediately stopped to cry and looked up._

 _That was the first moment these emerald-green and chocolate-brown eyes met and Harry swore – almost 15 years later - that at this moment he fell in love with Ginny Weasley ._

Ginny couldn't stop the tears from falling as she remembered the memory she was shown once or twice by her parents or James and Lily.

Carefully Ginny laid down next to Harry on the bed and watched him breathing gently.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

The first thing Harry felt when he woke up was a soft tickling sensation near his ear accompanied with lightly snoring noises. He opened his eyes and turned his head towards the source. What he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Next to him laid the love of his life, the woman he always imagined himself to grow old with, the woman he couldn't imagine his life with. Well, what it required that she would be lying next to him now was rather unpleasant but what's done is done.

He wanted to reach out and wanted to tuck some lost strand out of her beautiful face but the stabbing pain in his chest made him consider his action.

The movement must've caused Ginny to wake up, because the next thing he knew was that the softest and most amazing tasting lips were locked with his. He moaned into their kiss but he had to draw back as the pain in his chest became unbearable and he gasped out in pain. "I really don't want to hold you back but…" he grimaced "…the pain is kind of distracting."

Ginny immediately stood up, walked over to the fireplace and called for Lily who directly came out of the fireplace followed by James just a second behind, who dashed through the door. Their panic look changed into one of relieve as they saw their oldest son slightly smiling at them from the bed.

* * *

I know to stop here is kinda stupid but somehow I couldn't help myself.  
But nevertheless, don't forget to leave a comment :) xx


	9. A Birthday Surprise

**_Author's Note:_**  
 ** _Hey folks, sorry for the delay but life got in between.  
I will hopefully update more regulary from now on. Probably once a week or something like that and they will get longer. _**

**_There will be probably one thing in this chapter that some of you will question (the way I let it happen) but I promise it'll become reasonable._**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

* * *

 **Chapter IX: A Birthday Surprise**

 _Ginny immediately stood up, walked over to the fireplace and called for Lily who directly came out of the fireplace followed by James just a second behind, who dashed through the door. Their panic look changed into one of relieve as they saw their oldest son slightly smiling at them from over the bed._

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

It was 7.35 in the morning of the 31th July 1996 and the door went shut behind Lily and James who left after Lily looked her son over almost four times. It took a while because Harry didn't really want to admit his pain but he couldn't fool his mother. She didn't change his bandages as he should take a shower first.

So now this found the two teenagers sitting next to each other with their backs leaned against the headboard smiling at each other and holding hands. They didn't talk. Both were lost in their own minds for a while until "Do you mind if I take a shower?" Harry and "Do you mind if I take a shower?" Ginny asked at the same time.

Both burst out laughing.

"Do you need any help?" Ginny asked as she helped him up from the bed. "You could scrub my back." Harry answered cheekily and stood right in front of her. She just responded with a slightly shook of her head in disbelief and a smile on her face.

As she walked out of the room and Harry couldn't stop grinning like a Cheshire cat because he saw her blushing furiously as he made that offer. They would talk later but he knew it would be alright as long as they were together.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"Auror Black? Madam Bones wants to see you in her office." His secretary told him as he exited his office to fetch himself a coffee from the cafeteria – the fifth one. He stayed up pretty late due to the uproar his godson caused. Sirius stayed a few minutes in Harry's room and watched him and Ginny sleeping peacefully next to each other.

As he watched the two teenagers, he couldn't quit the feeling that he wanted what his godson had, too. Sure, he had his family (well, the Potters, Remus and the Tonks) but he reached the point that he couldn't fool himself any longer that he wanted to be with Amelia properly. He wanted to wake up beside her and spent the rest of his life with her.

Godric, he became a sappy idiot.

"Thanks, Martha." He responded and made his way down the hall towards the office of the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement.

Sirius greeted the two security guards that stood at both sides of the door, knocked and opened the door without waiting for the respond. She waited for him so he knew there wouldn't be anything he could interrupt.

From over the desk the woman he – as Rose so bluntly put it the other night – _nailed_ for the last five years was so immersed in her work that she didn't even acknowledged his presence. Sirius could just smile, this was so typically Amelia.

He walked silently around the huge desk she sat at and worked. She still didn't react.

He bent over from the side and started to kiss her right beneath her ear. "Merlin, Sirius! Don't scare me like this." Amelia exclaimed shocked

"The last time you responded more to my liking." He mumbled and spun her chair around so that she faced him completely.

Thanks to the huge window, which occupied the whole wall behind her desk, she could overlook the whole atrium and down to the elevators without anyone seeing into her office.

"How's Harry?" she asked concerned, stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"James sent a message and said he was up and already joking around again." He answered and soothingly rubbed her back.

"That's good." Was everything she could said before he claimed her lips.

Merlin, how he loved this woman. Yes, he knew that he really loved her but not to admit it made it more uncomplicated – well at the beginning but they knew it wasn't like this anymore.

Amelia went to Hogwarts in 1974 for her first year while Sirius was already in his fourth. Due to having her birthday at the 7th September she was with her twelve years the oldest in her year. While at Hogwarts she was very ambitious and studious and became good friends with Lily very quick.

At the end of his sixth year Sirius asked her out for their last Hogsmead weekend and were an item until the Christmas after he left Hogwarts.

Due to the fact that Amelia still was at Hogwarts and Sirius was constantly on some missions for the Aurors or the order of the phoenix, being together just didn't work out for them. Even as it hurt Amelia so much after losing her parents and all her siblings except for her older brother Edgar.

They had some relapses, for example at James' and Lily's wedding at the 14th September 1979 or the night Harry was born and they both were named his godparents, but Amelia wanted her niece to grow up safe and without the fear to lose more family – well they were the only ones left but nevertheless.

Susan was Amelia's everything.

Since Susan's parents died, in 1983 at the hand of some Death Eaters that wanted to continue Voldemort's plan, Amelia dedicated her whole life to Susan and her career. It was the safest to not get hurt anymore.

But somehow, after she brought Susan to King's Cross and watched her drive off for her first year at Hogwarts, that night she spent again with Sirius after 11-years.

And now, five years later, there rarely was a week that passed by without them getting together at least once.

Both of them agreed to just enjoy themselves and not to make everything more complicated. They both were afraid to get hurt. Amelia due to the huge loss of her family and Sirius due to his abusive family past and because he never could promise Amelia to be secure.

All of them knew that it was just a matter of time when Voldemort would return, not if, and now he did last year. Added to that is the fact that she was also technically his boss.

"Sirius, the door…" "Already locked." He mumbled against her neck where he sucked at her pulse point what drove her totally crazy.

She grabbed his shoulder long black hair and tilted his head so that she could kiss him. After Sirius sat her on the desk he worked his way down her throat and began to open the buttons on her blouse.

"Sirius, I need to talk to you!" Amelia gasped out as his hand found his way underneath her skirt. "Later!" was the only respond before she surrendered herself completely to Sirius' touch.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Ginny levitated a huge tray of breakfast for herself and Harry towards his door – thanks to Bill's wards around the property, the restriction of underage magic didn't apply here. It was like Harry sensed her because just as she wanted to open the door he opened it from the inside.

"Oh thank Godric, I think I'm starving." He exclaimed happily as he saw the tray and wanted to grab some strawberries but Ginny slapped his hand away.

"You need to redo the bandage on your chest and take your potions first, THEN breakfast." She said resolute as she put the tray on the sideboard.

Harry sighed in mock frustration but laid down on the bed with his bare chest only in some grey sweatpants.

"What are you waiting for?" Ginny asked him as she turned around and he stared at her.

"I thought you'd help me." He answered, his voice with a slightly hint of embarrassment.

THAT was the Harry Ginny knew. Just he would be embarrassed to ask someone for help with something like this. With a smile she grabbed the bandage and ointment and sat on her knees next to him on the bed.

"Were you hurt?" Harry asked gently while he watched the beautiful redhead cover the wounds on his chest with ointment. Her hair fell over her face like a curtain of fire that sparkled in the sun that shone through the window.

"No" she answered and gave him a quick smile that just didn't reach her eyes.

The feeling of her soft fingers touching his chest sent almost non-stop shivers down his spine. He still couldn't really understand his own decision to keep her away from him.

"Your mum said that one of those plaster would be more comfortable during the day." Ginny told him as she held up a big plaster that would cover all of his wounds at once. After she attached it to his chest she cleaned her hands on the towel next to her and stared at her hands.

Harry just watched her. He knew that something was on her mind and he was pretty sure that this would be about the last few days.

"It hurt." She began and fiddled with the towel.

"I need to tell you this before you explain to me anything." She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.

As she opened them again and looked Harry - her best friend, her childhood love, the love of her life - straight in the eyes he knew he hurt her more than he ever wanted. He saw just from the look in her eyes that he would regret his decisions for the rest of his life.

"When you wouldn't talk to me or even look at me I felt so horrible. It felt like I would be a burden to you. I thought you would just consider helping me with the life debt because you felt an obligation towards our families to help me."

He wanted to interrupt her but before he even could open his mouth Ginny continued.

"Please, let me finish this. You made me feel so…" it was like Ginny would choke on the word "…worthless." She finished the last word like it was forbidden. Like it would eat her a life. Like it would bring all her memories back. Again.

Ginny took a shaking breath and squared her shoulders.

"I promised myself to never feel like this again three years ago." She looked him in the eyes again.

"It was Tom's favourite. Worthless. He told me that I was a worthless and pathetic little girl that no one could love. A worthless little girl that was barely good enough to give him a body he could use to be himself again, to help him to regain his body. He told me I was a worthless ugly girl." Ginny stood up and stood next to the bed.

"He made me feel my worthlessness every time he possessed me." She said and lifted her top to show him her left side.

From right under her breast down to her hipbone was the word ' _worthless_ ' carved into her skin. The pinkish scars stuck out of her pale skin even more. With trembling hands, she pulled her top down again.

"But this was nothing compared to how you made me feel." Ginny said and sat down on the bed again, not facing him but staring out the open double-glass door.

From the side, Harry saw tears streaming down her face and he ached to hold her in his arms and wipe those tears away but knew that he couldn't do it. She needed to continue.

"You made his words come true. You made me feel like the ugly worthless kid he told me I was. You made me feel more worthless than anyone ever could. You made me feel undesirable and unattractive and…" she caught her breath

"…then I saw you with Fleur. She is so breathtakingly beautiful and more beautiful than I could ever be and I thought she was your girlfriend. She was my explanation for everything and I couldn't stand to be worthless. I couldn't live with being worthless to you, you of all people."

Ginny turned her head towards him and was momentarily shocked to see tears streaming down his face, too.

"Don't make me worthless again. Please!" her voice pleadingly just above a whisper.

"I can't just forgive you." She leaned towards him and wiped the tears away that streamed down his face.

"That doesn't mean that I don't love you but we can't just be together like that. I need some time." She leaned her forehead against his. "We need some time to find ourselves." Ginny finished and closed her eyes.

Harry was a total mess. He hated himself beyond compare for doing this to her. He felt so ashamed.

He put her head between his hands and started to kiss her tears away.

"I don't deserve you." He whispered between soft kisses.

"No, you don't." Ginny answered and both chuckled through their tears. "But we'll work on that." She added and kissed his forehead.

"You have to eat something." Ginny cleared her throat and walked over to the sideboard to get the tray.

A few minutes they ate in silence.

"Do you know what a 'Horcrux' is?" Harry broke the silence. Ginny shook her head 'no' as she chewed on some buttered toast.

With a small motion with his right hand Harry summoned a large volume, bound in faded black leather, from one of the bookshelves.

"This is the only book that really describes what a horcrux is. Don't worry you don't need to read it now but you can read it if you want to know more about it. Either way, a horcrux is a part of a soul that lives on in an item or even a living being. You can split your soul. Doing this your soul is still bound to this earth if you would die. The fun part is that you can't die when your horcrux is intact. It's the perfect ticket towards immortality." Harry explained without looking at Ginny.

"That's what Tom did, isn't it?" she asked and Harry just nodded.

"That's not the huge problem. There're ways to destroy a horcrux and we already got rid of some of them. For example, Tom's diary." He paused and waited for her reaction.

"So, I was possessed by a true piece of his soul. Not just a memory. I really had a part of him inside me?" "Yeah, but not permanently. I was able to destroy it out of sheer luck because one of the two things to destroy a horcrux is Basilisk venom. I stabbed the diary with one of its fangs. We destroyed four out of seven already."

"Seven? You can split your soul that often and still be alive?"

"Barely. Tom isn't human anymore. His appearance is because of this many horcruxes. He isn't able to feel anything."

"What did he use as horcrux?" Ginny asked her breakfast long forgotten.

"The diary, a locket from Slytherin, a cup from Hufflepuff, the diadem from Ravenclaw those are already destroyed. Then there are Nagini - his pet snake - and the ring that holds the resurrection stone." Harry listed the six horcruxes.

"What is the seventh?" Harry gulped, inhaled deeply and looked into her beautiful chocolate-brown eyes.

"Me." He said and showed her and out of habit tried to cover the scar under his forehead with his bangs.

Ginny was beyond being shocked. "How... When… I…" she tried to form a question but her mind stopped working properly.

"He never intended me to become a horcrux, we assume. The Halloween he came to kill me, thanks to mum's protection, the killing curse rebounded. He just lost his body and his soul split into another two pieces. One fled into exile for the next ten years and the other half attached itself to the next living thing – me." He stopped and sighed.

"There's no way around destroying all his horcruxes if we want to get rid of Tom."

Harry looked up and into her eyes. What he saw was a mixture of pain and fierce determination. Ginny put both her hands in his neck and pulled him towards her to lean their foreheads together, again.

"We'll find a way. I promise you, that I'll try everything within my powers that you survive this. Do you get that?" she told him.

Harry heard those words a thousand times since he knew of his ultimate fate, but never did they give him real hope. This was different.

He looked into her beautiful chocolate-brown eyes full of determination, pain and unconditional love for him that he knew: if anyone finds a way for him to survive, it would be his Ginny.

"I thought that, if I stay away from you and stop you from falling in love with me, it wouldn't be as painful for you losing me as when we would be together. I wanted to prevent to get to close to you so to save you from the pain." Harry explained her.

"For stopping me to fall in love with you, you're a tiny little bit too late. How could you think that your death wouldn't hurt me?" Ginny asked him confused.

"I think I didn't think at all." Ginny had to chuckle at that and patted his cheek.

The next two hours they laid in bed facing each other and just talked. They talked what their lives were like the last three years. Harry talked mainly about how his training increased and what it included.

Harry's training included more than magical education. He learned wandless magic since he was ten and became an advanced occlumence last year. Right now he was trained by Severus to improve his legilimens skills. He was also beyond NEWT level in most of his school subjects.

His physical training contained the traditional work out and training program for his reflexes and balance. The biggest part of his physical training was however a very advanced form of Krav Maga – most wizards never expected a physical assault and this gave him a huge advantage.

Harry started to feel tired again after some time and without any resistance he listened to Ginny and took a nap.

While she watched him sleep peacefully silent tears started to roll down her cheek. She cried not just for the future she might never have with him but also for the situation he found himself in.

How could life be so unfair? He didn't deserve to die. He deserved to live a long and happy life – preferable with her – and whatever would happen, even if she wasn't able to save him, she would make the rest of his life worth living.

Suddenly Ginny remembered her dream yesterday. The mysterious woman told her that she would be able to save his soul. It had to be a very big coincident when not the horcrux was meant. She could save him with her powers but…what powers? When there was one thing Ginny was sure of, that she didn't have any special powers.

Ginny watched him a while but stood up gently and silently so not to wake him up. At the door she turned around and looked at him one last time with a small smile on her face. He frowned in his sleep as his right hand searched for something next to him.

At least they had each other again.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"Muuuum!? I can't find the candles." Rose had her hand buried in a box kneeling in front of one of the selves in the living room.

"What kind of witch are you?" Sirius asked as he leaned on the door frame and munched on some crisps.

"Very funny…" Rose drew her wand and with a short 'Accio birthday candles' the searched birthday candles flew into her outstretched hand.

"Are Aunty Amy and Susan coming over?" Rose asked Sirius and stole a crisp out of his hand. "I kinda forget to ask her this morning." Sirius turned around and walked down the hall.

"I take it that you occupied her otherwise," Rose said, bumped her side into his and winked at him. "You're the worst of your mother and father in one person." Sirius groaned but nevertheless smiled at her and draped his arms over her shoulders.

As they walked into the kitchen they saw Lily, James, Remus and Ginny either finishing the birthday cake or the dinner. Fleur and Bill sat at the table with Daisy and Daniel and helped them to draw a birthday card for their brother.

Despite what happened yesterday they were all determined to celebrate Harry's birthday today – he probably totally forget it – with a surprise party.

Ginny grabbed Rose's elbow and pulled her into the parlour.

"I don't have a gift." Rose looked at her questioning but then she remembered what her best friend meant.

"That doesn't matter. Everything he wants he got already," Rose said and winked at her. Ginny had to fight a deep blush at what Rose said.

Just because she was hurt, didn't mean she couldn't heal with Harry's help.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

It was around 5.30 when Ginny found Harry to be still fast asleep. She already changed and came to wake him up. Ginny wore a light white summer-dress and with some of her hairs put back.

She walked over to his bed saying his name and telling him that he has to wake up. As she leaned over him and shook him gently he finally opened his eyes.

"Hey!" Harry smiled sleepily at her and she couldn't stop a smile spreading across her own face. Seeing Harry so adorable drowsy made her even forget what a prick he was.

"Come on, sleeping beauty. Dinner is ready and you have to change," Ginny said and pulled his covers back. Reluctantly he stood up and together they found him something to wear.

"Why do I have to change into proper clothes?" He asked for the hundredths time as Ginny pushed him gently into the bathroom to get ready.

She waited sitting on his bed as he came into the room again, just wearing a pair of boxers. "I can't bend over to put my trousers on," he explained "It hurts too much."

Ginny had to shake her head to clear her mind. He looked so sexy that she nearly began to drool all over the floor. Her eyes roamed over his entire body.

She had to tore her eyes almost violently away from the trace of dark hairs that led down from his toned chest, over his torso and continued beneath his navel towards the waistband of his boxer. As she heard Harry clearing his throat she focused on his beautiful emerald-green eyes.

She cleared her throat embarrassed and stood up. "Sit down so I can help you." Harry did just that and sat down where she just sat.

"I feel like a three-year-old," Harry confessed silently as Ginny started to put his trousers on. She snorted.

"You definitely don't look like a three-year old." Ginny looked up from kneeling in front of him while biting down on her lower lip. She just wanted to hit her head on the next bedpost for saying something like that.

They managed to put his trousers and some flip-flops on and just finished to do the buttons on his shirt.

While Ginny corrected his collar she realised how close their faces were. She looked at him and saw him staring at her with something she couldn't quite get. Without a second thought they both leaned into each other and kissed.

One of Harry's hands found its way onto her lower back and pulled her closer against his toned chest. His other hand rested on her hip. Ginny brought him closer to her with her hands in his neck.

Her lips escaped a soft moan as they continued to kiss and Harry pulled her closer against his chest. Harry pulled back as he felt her tensing.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have just kissed you. It was just that you look so damn beautiful in that dress and I wanted to do this ever since I saw you again" Ginny stopped Harry's rambling with a soft kiss.

"It's alright," Ginny said still with her arms wrapped around his neck. She just didn't trust her legs to stand on their own after that intense snog.

Harry had to chuckle as she tried to catch her breath again. "This doesn't mean that you're off the hook, Potter!" but she had to admit that being kissed like this made it unbelievable hard to keep even a tiny bit of distance between them.

They untangled their limbs again and Ginny just rose an eyebrow at Harry from where she stood in the door as he uncomfortably rearranged his trousers.

"What?" Harry asked embarrassed as he walked past her through the door.

"Nothing!" Ginny looked innocently at him and interlaced her fingers with his while they walked towards the stairs.

"What are we?" Harry asked as he stopped and turned around on the first step. Ginny stood on the step above and had to look down on him.

"How about we are just 'we' for now?" Ginny suggested and smiled lovingly at him.

And just with one look he knew that being them was everything he needed. Being them meant loving each other and gave him the opportunity to regain her trust in him and his feelings for her.

"Where are the others?" Harry asked and looked at Ginny confused as he neither found someone in the dining room nor in the kitchen.

Ginny smiled at him and pulled him wordless into the living room and onto the porch.

"SURPRISE!" shouted the gathered people on the porch as Harry walked onto the porch. His eyes were big as saucers. How could he forget his birthday the whole day? Sure, he had different things or better a beautiful red head on his mind but nevertheless.

One after another wished him a happy birthday. His parents, Rose with Daniel and Daisy on either hand, who gave him directly their self-made birthday cards and get big wet kisses back. Sirius, Remus, Dora, Amelia, Susan, Bill and Fleur followed. Even Andromeda and Ted were there to celebrate his birthday with him.

Ginny stood on the side and just watched. Suddenly it became really quiet and she saw them all looking at her. As she saw Harry smiling a dazzling smile at her she remembered that she hadn't wished him a happy birthday yet.

She took two steps towards him and stood now directly in front of him. Without saying a word, she just threw her arms around his neck and nuzzled her nose into his neck. "Happy Birthday, Harry," she whispered into his ear and they hold onto each other for a moment. Ginny gave him a tender kiss on his cheek as she untangled herself from him.

"Let's have dinner," Harry said as they all looked at the two teenagers with a mixture of smug and happy faces.

Dinner was a very loud and funny affair. Everyone felt obligated to tell some embarrassing story about Harry who tried at some point to hide his face in Ginny's hair while she clutched her stomach from all the laughing.

After the huge and for Harry embarrassing dinner, which contained all of Harry's favourite food, Lily and Amelia went into the kitchen.

"What do you think about your birthday till now?" Ginny asked as she and Harry entertained Daisy and Daniel on their laps.

"It's the best one in three years. With the rest of your family here it would be perfect, but having you back again comes pretty close to perfection." He caressed her cheek.

"Hawwy, me and Gin will mawwy," Daniel told his big brother proud as he laid his small head onto her chest and Ginny raked through his black locks smiling down on him.

"How about we make a deal?" Harry asked and Daniel nodded his head enthusiastic. "You can have a date with Ginny every week for the next seven years and you let _me_ marry her."

Daniel looked at his brother with a calculating look and put his finger against his temple. "hmmm…when Gin oki wid dat…" the little man said and shrugged.

Ginny had to smile at the little toddler. "I think going out with you once a week it totally okay with me."

"But you have to mawwy Hawwy!" Daisy commented. Ginny looked at Daisy's comment into Harry's eyes and saw a wishful and hopeful sparkle in his eyes. She had to smile at his look.

"I think even that is bearable." The look Harry gave her would always stayed in her mind. He looked like a kid in a candy store with unlimited amount of money and without his parents.

In that moment the others around them started to sing 'Happy Birthday' as Lily and Amelia carried Harry's birthday cake towards the table.

With Daniel and Daisy's help Harry managed to blow out all of the sixteen candles on the huge chocolate cake.

While eating the cake Harry opened his birthday presents.

From his parents and Rose he got some new vinyl's. Sirius, Amelia and Susan gave him a new deluxe broom service kit and his yearly abo of 'Qudditch Today'. Remus and Dora gave him some books on physique and mental training together with his favourite chocolate from Honeydukes. Andy and Ted gave him a new schoolbag with some very useful enchantments.

"You might want to share the third book with Ginny," Dora whispered and winked at him.

Fleur and Bill gave him some warding stones with introductions on their use.

"Charlie send this to me the other day to give it to you." Bill gave him another package. As he opened the package he found a cage with a little dragon in it.

"Oh Godric!" Lily exclaimed annoyed. Charlie always joked about bringing a dragon into the house.

"Don't worry mum, it won't grow anymore. This is one of the first Parvusdragons they work at the reservoir." Harry gave her Charlies note that was especially addressed to her to reassure her that it wasn't dangerous at all.

"' _P.S.: Maybe you should keep some cooling ointment around, it's nevertheless a dragon'_ ," Lily read out loud "Just wait till he comes over for a visit again," she hissed and stared at the little dragon in the cage. Daniel and Daisy were already fire and flame for it.

Before her babies could get too close to the dragon Lily and Dora picked them up and tucked them in.

"Harry!" his father called him over from where he sat and talked to Susan. His father and his uncles stayed around in a semicircle.

"What are you three up to?" he asked suspicious.

"Son, I'm sure you remember us haven 'the talk' two years ago." Harry just nodded embarrassed as he remembered clearly 'the talk'. He and his father had a pretty good connection and everything and in the end he was very grateful how his dad handled the situation but nevertheless in the beginning it was totally embarrassing for him.

"But THIS…" Sirius pulled a book from behind his back and hold it out to him "…is the ultimate book for every wizard." Harry took the book carefully and read the title _'How to bewitch your witch – 111 tips for the ultimate pleasure'._

Harry groaned "You are serious, aren't you?" "Yes, that's his name but believe me son: Ginny will be very VERY grateful!" His father winked at him and he wasn't sure if this conversation was real.

"Thanks guys," Harry just said and vanished the book quickly into his room.

"Will you come with me?" Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny's waist from behind and whispered into her ear.

It was some time later and they all stood around a large bonfire (that was located at the edge of the property towards the ocean) or sat with their drinks on some trunks.

Ginny stood with Bill and Fleur and talked. She looked slightly unsure between Bill and Fleur who just smiled at her. Harry led Ginny by the hand towards the forest.

"Where are we going?" Ginny asked as they walked down the path towards the Quiddtich pitch.

"Just wait," Harry just responded and crossed the pitch. Ginny followed him still with her drink in her hand through the now dark forest with only Harrys wand glowing in the dark.

After a two-minute walk Ginny suddenly heard the rushing of water and towards the end of the small path it became brighter again.

"I found this place last summer. I have no idea when the tree house was build but it's pretty awesome," Harry told her as they stepped into a clearing.

It was rather large and the view towards the sky was completely free. On the left side was a pond with a small waterfall rushing down the stones. In front of them was a big tree house around 16 feet above the ground with a wood ladder to reach it.

"It's amazing!" Ginny breathed in awe.

"It reminded me of our place at The Burrow." Harry turned around again and looked at her.

"I'm sorry that I didn't give you something for your birthday but I…" Harry stopped her with a kiss.

"As long as you stay with me I don't need anything else," Harry whispered and played with her long red hair.

"I need to tell you something else Ginny" and without another word he transformed into his animagus form.

Ginny looked shocked at the black wolf at her feet and took a sip of her drink. Harry transformed back after she didn't say a word. He looked expectantly at her. She just gulped down another sip from her drink.

"You saw me naked!" Was everything Ginny said.

Harry massaged his neck embarrassed. "Yeaaaah…," he admitted without looking at her.

"But you were there when I needed you," Ginny said emotionally, sat her drink down on the ground next to his and threw her arms around his neck again. Luckily the pain in his chest wasn't that bad anymore. Ginny found his lips and kissed him passionately.

"You were still a prick, but you're mine prick"

"Forever?" Harry asked her. They looked deep into each other's eyes. "Always." And she kissed him again.

There were just this one feeling inside of her that filled her whole being telling her to love him. Telling her that he never wanted to hurt her like that. Telling her that he always loved her and always will.

As they broke apart Ginny picked up their drinks and made her way towards the small pond. Harry followed her.

"Let's take a swim," Harry sugge sted and already started to take of his shirt. "But we don't have anything to wear," Ginny complained "and your wound…" "Is healed" Harry said and showed her his chest without the plaster. Everything left were small pinkish marks.

"Mum took it off and used a new ointment she works on. She just wanted me to suffer a few hours for my behaviour." Ginny had to laugh at his comment and watched as he took of his shoes and trousers.

"Come on!" Ginny looked slightly unsure "I just wear some knickers underneath my dress Harry." She still couldn't feel completely comfortable to show so much of her body.

"But there's nothing I don't know already." He stepped closer to her and took their drinks out of her hand and sat them down again after taking a sip of his butterbeer.

"Let me show you that you're everything but what Tom told you to be." Harry caressed her cheek and lost his fingers in her silky long red hair.

"Let me show you that you're the most beautiful woman to me, body and soul."

He started to pepper her whole face with small kisses that caused her to giggle.

Ginny placed both her small hands on his toned chest and pushed him away slightly. Without another word she grasped the hem of her dress, pulled it over her head and threw it to the pile of his clothes.

Before he would lose himself and just stare at her perfect body, Harry grabbed her around the waist, threw her over his shoulder and jumped into the pond. Ginny shrieked like mad.

"Oh youuuuu…" Ginny threatened "Catch me if you can!" Harry said and quickly swam away from her.

They caught each other for a few minutes. As it was Harrys turn to catch Ginny he dived and pulled her underwater. Before she could escape again he sealed his lips over hers, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him.

As they had to breathe again he pushed himself up from the ground and with Ginny clinging to him they broke through the surface still kissing. They broke apart and smiled like mad at each other while catching their breaths.

"You're so beautiful," Harry said full of emotions and wrapped her legs around his waist. "When there's one person that can make me survive this, then it's you."

Ginny looked at him with a look full of love and kissed him again. This time her tongue glided over his lips and he welcomed her tongue happily.

They snogged gently like this with their bodies pressed tightly against each other. For how long, they couldn't care less.

Harry's hand found its way to her left side where her scar was. "You're everything to me Ginevra." He looked her deep in the eye and caressed the skin that was taunted by her scars.

"There's nothing worthless about you. Not one single inch. Not one single thought." His lips wandered down her throat.

"Every inch of you is perfect. I love every single freckle that covers your body. Your beautiful long silky red hair that shines like fire and feels like water running through my fingers." He covered her collarbone with open mouth kisses to emphasize his words.

Ginny's whole being was filled with emotions she never felt before. Her whole skin seemed to be on fire and the only cure was Harry's touch. All of his words penetrated her mind like a knife. Every part of her skin that touched a part of his felt like a million fireworks exploding at once.

"Harry!" Ginny moaned as she slightly unwillingly moved down his hip and her core was now pressed directly against his very prominent erection.

Harry responded without thinking and his hips jerked slightly into her to cause more friction. "Ginny," he moaned as she now attacked his neck and began to nibble on his earlobe. "Do you really want this already? Here?" Harry asked out of breath and with gasps. The way she moved against him just drove him crazy.

"Not, the whole way." She returned to kiss him passionately "But I need to feel you. I need to feel that…you…really…mean…what…you…said." The last part she said between soft kisses.

"That's fine…with…me," Harry answered between her kisses and so they stayed like this for a moment or two…or rather twenty.


	10. Just A Feeling

**Chapter X: Just A Feeling**

 _"_ _Not, the whole way." She returned to kiss him passionately "But I need to feel you. I need to feel that…you…really…mean…what…you…said." The last part she said between soft kisses._

 _"_ _That's fine…with…me," Harry answered between her kisses and so they stayed like this for a moment or two…or rather twenty._

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"Where are Harry and Ginny?" Lily asked Rose as they started to gather their things and headed back inside. It was well past midnight.

"They went towards the Quidditch pitch and hour or so ago," Rose answered and vanished the empty bottles towards the kitchen.

"He probably let her ride his broom." Sirius winked at James who snorted.

"I hope you're not talking about my _baby_ sister riding your godson's _broomstick,"_ Bill said and glared almost dangerously at Sirius for his comment.

Rose and Fleur shared a knowing look. "Don't worry, Billy. Ginny is far more to pissed off to let him even make a proper move on her," Rose tried to smooth away his fears.

Rose didn't believe her words completely. She knew that it normally took just some mushy sappy words or action from her idiot of a brother for Ginny to become putty in his hands. But after the cheek he had to treat her this way, she hoped Ginny would let him suffer a bit more.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"Thanks," Ginny said and smiled grateful at him after Harry dried her off with a swish of his hand before she put her dress back on.

"My pleasure." Harry did his zip up and Ginny began to redo the buttons on his shirt.

"Yeah, I felt that," she responded cheekily and winked at him as she did the last button. She left the last three ones open, just as he liked it.

Ginny's smile grew even wider as she saw him blushing. He was so adorable. How could she be mad at him after he said and did all those things the last hours.

Sure, not everything was perfect. She was still insecure and not sure how they can find themselves again after what happened but she was very optimistic – in this time every one needed a silver lining.

She knew it maybe was kind of naïve or juvenile but she just couldn't any other way than to love him and trust him. She knew this boy her whole life. She loved him longer than she was even able to walk. Sure, they weren't the same kids they were three years ago, but she knew that their feelings never changed.

Something deep down inside told her that.

The way he showed his feelings for her, she knew that they were true. It didn't matter to her how long they still had together, a month, a year, ten years or even eternity, she would always love him and trust him.

Even when they would just be able to have another hour like the last one, she would never let Tom's taunting words and his memory stop her to love Harry with all her being.

"Do you wanna see the tree house?" Harry pulled her out of her thoughts and already walked towards the huge tree the tree house was built in. Without a respond the just tiptoed over to him and followed him up the wood ladder into the tree house.

As she climbed into the tree house Harry already had lightened up the room. The room measured around 14' lengthways and 11' breadthways.

On the wall across the entrance stood and old sofa with some cushions and blankets on it. In the middle of the room two thick tree branches went through from bottom through the ceiling in a V-form. A small floor hatch was towards the right side where a small table with a record player stood. On the wall next to the entrance and on the left wall were two openings as windows. One overlooked the meadow and the other gave a view into the forest. Even some posters stuck on the wood walls and some old thin curtains over the windows.

"I assume this works due to magic," Ginny remarked as Harry started the record player and Radiohead's song 'True Love Waits' played quietly.

"yep." Harry took her hand and twirled her gently around what caused her to giggle. They started to dance slowly with Ginny's head laying against his shoulder and his cheek resting on her head.

"It's like when we were kids," Harry said "Well, without the snogging."

Both had to chuckle at that and fell silent again.

"That's wonderful," Ginny sighed contently and broke the comfortable silence they swayed in. "hmm." Was Harry's only respond.

With every breath he took he breathed in her intoxication flowery scent that he swore intensified since they came out of the pond.

They stayed like this for a few songs and played around during the more upbeat songs.

"The sun will come up soon," Ginny exclaimed as she looked at Harry's watch.

"We really stayed up the whole night?" "Well, we slept pretty late and you also took a nap," Ginny answered and smiled at him.

"Let's head back and get some sleep." Harry stopped the record player and climbed down the ladder.

As Ginny reached the second last rung he wrapped his arms safely right under her butt and held her up against his body.

"Thank you!" Harry said as he looked up at her and leaned into her hands she rested on both of his cheeks.

"For what?" "For giving me the chance to love you." He pressed his head now gently against her stomach and inhaled deeply.

Ginny raked her fingers through his raven black hair. "I want to watch the sunrise," Ginny said softly after she gave him a moment to calm down. "I'm not tired yet."

Harry's respond was just a nod against her stomach. He inhaled one more time deeply and then smiled up at her again before he put her down on the ground again.

Together they made their way back to the Quidditch pitch where Harry grabbed a broom from the broom shed and mounted it.

"There's no better way than to watch a sunrise from high above." He gestured for Ginny to sit in front of him. She mounted the broom in front of him and he directly encircled her from behind and grabbed the broom in front of her so that her back was tightly pressed against his chest.

"Ready?" Harry asked and Ginny just answered with a breathless "Yes!" in anticipation.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

James awoke to the rather pleasant feeling of his equally naked wife laying on top of him and covering his chest in light kisses.

"Down boy!" she smiled playfully down at him as she leaned now over his face and kissed him. There was no way she could've missed his reaction.

"What did you expect, you know me woman," James responded and playfully smacked her backside.

"You're still as randy and needy as in the beginning." Lily now sat up and James fingers started to draw small circles on her hipbone.

When he fell in love with Lily all those years ago, he would've never imagined his life to be like this. No matter what came into their way, they fought it together and she always managed, even against his wildest dreams, to make him fall in love with her over and over again even more each day. She was just perfect.

It wasn't just her incredible beauty – sure he had to admit he enjoyed that immensely – and the fact that to him she was still the sexiest woman walking this earth. It was her passion and determination he loved about her and everything else that made her the woman which could make him feel like a randy teenage boy from one moment to the other.

"Let's go down and make some breakfast." Lily stood up to James disappointment and walked towards the adjusted bathroom still naked. At the door she turned her head around. "Care to join me for a shower before?" She asked seductively and in the blink of an eye he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the shower.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

What James and Lily saw as they entered the kitchen frankly surprised them. Sitting on the kitchen counter next to the cooker was Ginny with their oldest son standing between her legs and her hands were occupied on his back beneath the shirt.

Lily amused cleared her throat "The pancakes are burning."

Harry wheeled around and faced his parents standing in the door with the same amused expression on their faces.

"That looked cosy," James remarked and winked at Harry as Ginny rearranged her top and put her hair into a lose plait. Harry tried to seem occupied while looking after the pancakes.

"Take a seat in the dining room. We didn't think all of us would fit in here." Ginny said still a bit flushed and took a pitcher full of juice over to the dining room where the table, already filled with a very extensive breakfast, awaited them - just like Daniel and Daisy who were sitting in their highchairs happily drinking their milk.

Lily and James greeted their little ones and joined them at the table.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"We won't ever live that down," Harry said flipping a pancake as Ginny's hand sneaked around his torso from behind.

"They know about us, Harry. There's nothing to hide, or is there? Do you want to…" Harry turned around with a shocked expression.

"NO! Godric no, Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, his pancakes quickly forgotten. "I want the whole world to know." He grabbed her hand and kissed it softly. "Never worry about that ever again, alright?" Ginny nodded, smiled at him and received a gentle kiss from Harry.

They finished the pancakes quickly and joined the others in the dining room. Remus, Dora, Bill and Fleur already sat at the table. The conversation at the table was a variation between them catching up and for Fleur and Ginny getting to know each other a bit more.

"I hope you already cleaned the counter, _Ruffles_ ," Sirius said as he sat down across from his godson. Which eyes flew open. How did he know that name and what about the…

"To ravish your girlfriend on the kitchen counter where your own mother prepares your meal…tz tz." Ginny choked on her coffee she just sipped on. Harry glanced slightly panicked at Bill who already threw a malic glare back at him.

"Sirius!" Amelia said and lightly punched him on his chest with the back of her hand.

"What? I saw them earlier as I wanted to grab something to drink," he defended himself and added while he leaned slightly over the table towards Ginny.

"And I agree with Harry, that wolf's tattoo would be just perfect on your right…" but before he could finish his sentence Harry charmed a croissant directly into his godfather's mouth.

Before they started to prepare the breakfast, they were in the same position James and Lily found them and shared some passionate kisses and touches while Ginny, just for the fun of it, told him that she thought about having his animagus form as a tattoo.

Harry played along and suggested that she could let do it on her right bum cheek, so he would always have a good reason to look at it.

Well, they thought they were alone.

"You're going to be a horrible father," Ginny said without really meaning it and now it was Amelia's turn to choke on her tea instead of coffee.

"How do you kn…" Amelia started to say but stopped immediately as she realised what she just gave away.

The whole table, even the twins, went dead silent. She closed her eyes and just waited for the big blow.

"Amelia?" Sirius just asked from next to her and without seeing him she knew, just from how he said her name, that he was confused and hurt at once.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Sirius wasn't an idiot so he knew her answer already.

"Sirius, I…" but before she could say anything further he stood up and stormed out of the room.

They all looked uncomfortable at their plates like they would be the most fascinating thing in the world. Except for Amelia.

"Amelia, I'm sorry I didn't know. Somehow it just came to my mind. I'm sorry!" Ginny apologised.

James wanted to stand up and follow Sirius, but Amelia beat him to it.

"Let me, please," she just said and without looking at any of them she followed Sirius up to his room.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

She knocked on the door. Nothing. She knocked again. Nothing.

She opened the door to find the room empty but the door onto the balcony wide open and the smell a smoke reaching her nose.

Amelia walked silently across the room and found Sirius standing bend over the handrail smoking a cigarette and staring into the distance.

She just took a deep breath and wanted to say something but Sirius was faster.

"Who is he?" That definitely not what she thought his first question would be.

"What?" she just asked not really getting what he wanted to know.

"They guy you slept with? The father?" Sirius asked turning his head slightly so he could see her standing there with her arms crossed over her belly.

"What?" she just could ask again.

"Come on, at least tell me his name because I know for sure that it's not mine child." And suddenly Amelia became very angry,

"What?" This time it came out rather forcefully.

"My mother took care of it when I was 14. She took care of it that I wouldn't disgrace the ancient and noble house Black with an offspring of mine." He took a strong pull on his cigarette.

"I overheard her and my charming father talking about how she slipped me some infertility potion the previous summer and finished off the last batch just that morning. It was probably in my meals or drinks, I don't know and I don't care." Sirius stood straight again and snipped the cigarette away after he put it out.

"I'm not able to have kids, Amelia. I never was since I'm 14." He rubbed his face with both his hands and raked through his hair.

Amelia felt tears spilling down her face. How could they do this to him? He was one of the kindest, gentlest and most loving persons she knew and she always thought how he deserved his own family and even wished she could give that to him.

Sure, from time to time he was childish and behaved like a total idiot but that made him the man she loved for all these years.

"But I haven't slept with anyone else, Sirius." She took a few steps towards him and grabbed his arm to force him to look at her.

"It's your baby." Amelia laid his right hand onto her already bulging stomach she started to hide beneath with her clothes "Our baby."

"It's not possible, Amy" He looked up from his hand that rested on her stomach into her eyes. Her beautiful eyes he loved so much.

"But it is. I have no idea how, but I swear to you, by everything dear to me, I haven't slept with anyone else the last five years. You were the only one." Amelia interlaced her fingers of her left hand with his and rested them on her bulging stomach again. "You _are_ the only one for us," she added.

Sirius was totally lost. How could this be true? He trusted Amelia with his life, she would never claim it to be his child, if it truly wasn't his. But then how was it possible after the potion he was slipped by his mother.

Even when he really managed to get Amelia pregnant, he just couldn't believe it. When there was one thing he always wanted than to be a dad. He saw how James and Arthur became father's numerous times and with every addition to their huge chaos family, he envied them a bit more.

The closest feeling, he thought he could get to being a father, was towards Susan. He just adored her like his own. She was a part of Amelia and he would move heaven and earth for both of them. Even as he and Amelia hadn't their casual relationship and they just saw each other when Susan stayed with the Potters or she and Amelia visited them, he always kind of got into the role of a father for her.

All the other kids around him had their own dad's and he loved to play their cool and funny uncle, but to Susan he always wanted to give her the same opportunity - since Edgar wasn't able to be there for her.

It was kind of stupid because Susan was one reason he and Amelia didn't start something serious but that was a lie after all. Their friends and family knew about them and they were in almost every sense a couple.

"How…," Sirius tried to get his brain to come up with a proper question but failed.

"I have now idea, but I know that you're going to be the most amazing father I can imagine for our child." Amelia smiled at him with a look full of love and trust.

"You are amazing with Susan and all the other kids." Amelia put both her hand on his cheeks. "And we three love you so much," she added and kissed him passionately.

A shiver ran down Sirius' spine. Never in his whole life did anyone say that to him THIS way.

James and Remus used it like brothers do. Lily and Dora used it like sisters do and Harry and Rose used it like nephew and niece do.

But Amelia, he knew that for certain, used it just like lovers do.

"I love you, Amelia." It was the first time he told her. "I love you so much," he mumbled against her lips without really breaking their kiss. "You, Susan and that little wonder here are my life."

Amelia couldn't stop the tears from falling. It felt like she lived the last twenty years loving him just for this one moment.

"I swear to you, if you ever say something stupid again about me sleeping around, I'll kill you – father or not!" Amelia threatened him.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"How did you know, that Aunty is pregnant?"

Rose, Susan, Ginny and Harry strolled casually down the beach. Everyone wanted to spend the day at the beach today so Lily packed a picnic basket full of drinks and snacks and the whole family made their way down towards the beach.

Daniel and Daisy were happily riding on Sirius in his animagus form – with a good measured sticking charm from their mother – and laughing like mad. The other guys stayed near them and the woman all bombarded Amelia.

After Sirius and Amelia came down again, looking slightly dishevelled with Sirius' buttons done completely wrong and wearing huge smiles plastered on their faces, Ginny wholeheartedly apologised and nearly cut of Sirius air. She told him that he'll be a wonderful dad and every child would be happy to have him as a father.

Sirius nearly cried as James and Remus congratulated him together.

James was the first real family he ever had. From the first moment on they immediately hit it off. He spent most of his summers at the Potters – during the summer holiday, James always lend him his invisibility cloak to sneak out of the house and spend the days with James and every now and then Remus.

Sirius' parents never cared where their youngest son stayed in the big old house, the wards would tell them if he'd leave the property – but under the invisibility cloak, the wards never recognised him leaving for the Potters.

And James' parents adored him like their own.

James and Remus were the only ones he ever told what his parents really did to him. To some extend Lily and Amelia knew the basics too but no one else. And so his family was even more happy for him now.

"I don't really know. I had suddenly such a feeling that Amelia will be a wonderful mother and how totally over the moon Sirius will be as they entered the room and then I just said that to Sirius so…," Ginny tried to explain as best as she could, but truth be told, she couldn't even understand how she knew it.

"I just kind of felt it and…well I don't really know" Ginny sneaked her arm around Harry's waist and pressed herself into his side.

"It's so amazing isn't it? I'm going to be a big sister, well to be exact cousin but you know what I mean." Susan gushed happily and draped her arm casually over Rose's and Ginny's shoulder.

The whole way down to the beach Susan talked nonstop about the baby and the others were happy for their friend that she would finally get what she always dreamed of – her very own family.

"Alright, remember not to use magic out here. We have no idea who will come around," Lily said as they all started to lay down blankets and took off their clothes.

"Oh and Ginny, sweetheart? James will put a charm on you that you'll look like someone else, but not for us."

James came over to her and quickly with a motion of his right hand cast the charms. Ginny felt like someone had just emptied a bucket full of ice water over her head.

"Muuuuum?! Can't you at least cast some sunblock charms?" Rose asked as she caught a sun cream thrown at her from Bill.

"No, you still got two hands for things like this," Lily responded and started to put some sun cream on James back.

"Pretty pretty please, daddy!" Rose tried with a puppy face to convince her dad.

"Sorry darling, but your mother is right," James said "And I don't like sleeping on the sofa." He added after a second and winked at his daughter.

Meanwhile Harry and Ginny just watched and waited till they got their hands on some sun cream.

"Take off your shirt," Ginny said to him and opened the sun cream.

"Let me do you first." Harry took the sun cream and knelt down beside Ginny.

"Help me with the dress, would you?" Ginny asked and turned her back towards him as she sat up.

Harry managed with some difficulties to open up the dress. "How did you manage to put it on?" He asked as he reached the end. "Magic." Was Ginny's only respond.

Harry watched more and more beautiful with freckles adorned skin was revealed. His mind came up with the very enticing idea to kiss and count every single freckle.

Ginny laid down on her stomach so Harry could apply the sun cream more easily on her back. How he applied the sun cream came closer to a massage.

He touched her skin before, especially last night as they snogged their brains out, but she could never get used to all the feelings that would suddenly flood her body or how suddenly everything seemed much more intense.

If he was honest, Harry never wanted to stop touching Ginny. Not because he was a randy teenager and she an amazingly beautiful and attractive witch. No because he seemed to need it just as much as he needed to breath. And he knew, if he could feel the horcrux inside him, it would probably burn like hell with the huge amount of love it had to encounter.

"Turn around," Harry told Ginny with his voice slightly strained. It really took a lot not just to continue where they left off last night.

Ginny complied with Harry's order and laid down on her back. As Harry just stared at her she felt slightly nervous.

Would he now, without the alcohol and in the daylight, still find her as attractive and desirable as he did last night?

"Where's your scar?" he asked and tenderly laid his hand on her left side where Tom's scar was located.

Ginny avoided to look into his eyes so he put a finder under her chin and made her looking at him.

"I always put a concealment charm on it," Ginny admitted quietly. Without saying a word Harry leaned in and kissed her gently.

"I'm sure mum could heal it for good, you just…" but before he could finish she shook her head no almost violently.

"It's a part of me. I'm not proud of it, but it is nevertheless a part of me." Ginny now looked at him with a fierce and determined look.

Receiving that look from her, he knew there was nothing to make up her mind. So he just dropped the matter and returned to applying the sun cream on her but not before he planted nine little kisses where her scar was.

Harry finished Ginny with even one little embarrassing moment as he asked he if he should do her chest too. Ginny had to laugh at how adorable he asked this and reminded him that he already saw her breast and that she still wore her bikini top.

Ginny did Harry's back first too and had to smile wickedly as she felt Harry taking shaking breath after she sat down on his butt to apply the sun cream on his back.

She finished his back and legs and ordered him to turn around as she stood up. He just held up one finger to signalise her that he needed a moment. Ginny just couldn't any other way but to burst out laughing.

"Hey, that's my sister you're thinking about," Bill told him and nudged his shoulder with his foot. Harry's shoulder slumped down even further and he groaned.

As he turned around Ginny smiled innocently down at him and put a hand next to him on his other side so she leaned over him.

"Don't you dare to sit down on me again!" Harry exclaimed and looked pleadingly at her.

Ginny just winked at him, took her hand back and applied the sun cream on him.

"Well that was a show." Susan and Rose shared the blanket next to them and Susan looked at them while Rose applied sun cream on her back.

Suddenly Ginny felt a small wave of longing and desire, as she looked over to her friends, that just quite felt different from what she normally felt.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Harry stretched, removed his glasses and pulled the covers back to lay down.

He settled down in bed and his eyes fell on the new photographs on his wall. There were new group photos from almost every one of his family.

His favourite one was of him, Ginny and Rose on his birthday.

He had his arms around both of them. Over and over again photo-Harry received a kiss on his cheeks from both of them at the same time and Ginny laid her head on his shoulder as they all laughed about something Rose said.

It was one of the few magical photos he possessed.

He smiled as he remembered the last two days. Being with Ginny just made everything seem so alive. Being with Ginny just was everything he wanted. Being with Ginny was like a drug to him that took away the pain and the burden he carried. And he loved her with every moment more he was with her.

Being with Ginny made him himself again.

Just in that moment, as he thought about how wonderful she was, there was a soft knock on the door and Ginny stuck her head into his room.

"Hey!" she smiled as she saw him giving that brilliant smile she loved so much. "Can we talk a minute?"

Harry nodded and without to wait for him so say something Ginny settled down next to him in his bed.

"What did you want to talk about?" Harry asked with a sense of foreboding as he watched her fiddle with the hem of her nightgown.

His mind came up with scenarios where she told him that she couldn't forgive him and that she doesn't love him.

"Iwantedtotalkaboutthelifedebt" Ginny mumbled a bit too fast for Harry to understand it.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that." Ginny took a calming breath and tried again.

"I wanted to talk about the life debt." Ginny repeated now more clearly and threw him a quick glance.

"Ah, yes." Harry leaned casually against the headboard and watched her still not meeting his eyes.

"What are you afraid of?" He asked and brushed her hair over her shoulder that it spilled down her back and he could play with her hair-ends.

"That we don't want the same," Ginny told him quietly that he nearly didn't hear it.

"And that would be…?" "I don't want you to claim me and then HAVE to marry me." Ginny now turned her head around so that she looked at him.

"I don't want to claim you either." Harry's voice was so soft and full of love that Ginny's fear almost instantly vaporized into thin air.

"We got two options. The first is that we just fill out the papers at Gringotts, well just me to be exact, and say that I want to claim you first for the life debt you owe me. Than we would have until the day I turn 17 to marry, either way both our magic would be bound. Option two would be that I'd propose to you and we marry." Harry explained both their options again.

There was a third option, which contained not to act on the life debt at all, but that would mean that Dumbledore and his golden boy would be able to take her away from him again. So option three: Not discussable.

"No matter which option we agree on, it has to be done by the first of September so that we can all return back to Hogwarts as safely as possible." Ginny nodded her understanding.

"I want to marry you, Ginny." Harry leaned away from the headboard again so their faces were now next to each other again. "I really do."

He gave her a soft kiss. "Me too," Ginny responded and interlaced their fingers.

"That wasn't my proposal but if that's really what you want, then we'll do it." Harry added as they smiled like idiots at each other.

"That's what I've wanted ever since I'm six."

"So when we had our first kiss on my seventh birthday, you knew that you wanted to marry me one day?" Harry asked and Ginny just nodded and settled down on her side to face him.

"We don't know for certain how long we still have together. With Tom back I could be just as dead as you the next day, so yes, as long as I have the opportunity to be your wife, I want to marry you." Ginny said and pulled him towards her to kiss him tenderly.

"Oh, and I'm sleeping here tonight," Ginny added and snuggled against his bare chest with her head just above his heart and her hand laying on his stomach. Harry drew small circles on her back.

"I love you, Ginny." Harry broke the silence. He wanted to tell her since he saw her standing in their living room but he never was really sure that she wanted to go through with all of his shit.

He promised himself to tell her and show her how much he loved her every single day they had together.

"I love you too, Harry," Ginny responded and kissed his chest lightly right where his heart beat against her cheek and lulled her into the world of dreams.


	11. Life and Its Normal Problems

**Hey guys,**

 **I know it's bee a very veeeeery looooong time but everything came somehow in between and yeah...I hope you don't hate me for the long delay. My expectations on this one are just too high, I know xD  
**

 **So I hope I can update now frequently again, if I'm creative enough (I have my mind set on monthly updates now) but let's see...**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter XI: Life And Its Normal Problems**

 _He promised himself to tell her and show her how much he loved her every single day they had together._

 _"_ _I love you too, Harry," Ginny responded and kissed his chest lightly right where his heart beat against her cheek and lulled her into the world of dreams._

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Ginny's left hand searched for Harry's next to her. There was nothing.

Her eyes flew open and she panicked.

It was all just a dream and he was gone. He never told her that he loves her and that he wanted to marry her. Everything he did and said was gone. All his kisses and words of love. Gone.

She was worthless.  
He was right.  
Tom was right.

She started to cry and somehow she couldn't breathe. There was no air to breathe for someone like her.

She was worthless and just a waste of air.

"You're worthless!" Toms words echoed in her mind. "No one's able to love you, Ginevra."

She couldn't breathe.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Harry walked out of the bathroom as he found her. Ginny was crying, gasping for air and shaking like mad.

The room was only lightened by the descending full moon that shone through the windows and bathed the whole bed into a glooming light.

"Ginny?! Baby, what happened?" He rushed over to her and framed her sweaty head with his hands. "Look at me, Baby!"

Ginny's eyes were still wide open without any focus.

She still couldn't breathe. Seeing her like this scared him more than anything else he ever experienced.

"Anapneo!" Harry tried to free her lungs so that she could breathe but there was no change.

Thankfully his mother made them all visit a first aid course when they were younger. Harry opened her mouth with his hands and performed rescue breathing on her.

He started breathing for her.

After two more breaths he felt her inhaling on her own and stopped. His heart was racing like after riding a hippogriff.

"Baby? Ginny, can you look at me? Please!" He brushed her hair away that stuck to her sweaty forehead.

And then her eyes focused on him. They looked like a fire would burn up in her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. Her chest still heaved heavily.

"Harry," she breathed out "You're back."

"I just went to the bathroom, love." Harry sat down on the bed and pulled her into his lap to hold her against his chest. "I never left you. I will never leave you, Ginny."

Suddenly he felt something pulling on his heart. He couldn't promise her that. He still got the horcrux inside of him and had to die. It still looked like he would have to leave her.

How could he put her through this?

Ginny hold on tightly on Harry as he rocked her gently in his arms.

"Everything's good, love. I'm here." He drew small circles on her back "I'm not leaving you, baby. I love you."

Ginny looked up at him with watery eyes. "Promise me?" Her voice sounded so small and helpless.

"I promise that I won't leave you and will do everything to keep it that way."

He kissed her sweaty forehead and felt both their heartbeats calmed down again.

"I love you with all my heart." He wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumbs. "You're my life."

"I heard Tom." They sat together in the hammock on Harry's balcony and watched the sunrise.

Both of them couldn't go back to sleep and as it was already half past five when they relocated outside.

"He can't get to you," Harry said and planted a kiss on her head that was tucked under his chin. "I will protect you with my life."

They fell silent again and shared soft kisses every now and then.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

The next two days went by uneventfully. Ginny started her mind training with Severus and Harry was ordered to take it slow with his work out.

Ginny and Rose also managed to talk James down to start teaching them to become animagi.

Life settled down in his usual chaos in the Potter household again. There were moments when Ginny missed her own family terribly but the knowing that sooner or later she would have them back was comfort enough for her right now.

After her panic attack the other morning Harry and Ginny talked to his parents and told them about it. They agreed that it would be alright with them that Ginny moved into his room and them sharing a bed.

Rose couldn't supress her teasing comments every now and then.

She understood that Harry and Ginny needed their time to collect themselves and all of that so she wasn't angry with them for spending not that much time with her.

Instead she and Susan spend a lot of time together and neither of them complaint about it at all.

Tonight everyone would get together to talk about the recent topics and developments.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Due to how many people stayed for dinner this evening they were all gathered in the dining room. Everyone who was there for Harry's birthday was there. Beside Severus and Charlie who joined the group this night.

The latter delighted Ginny a lot. She flew into his arms the moment he walked into the room and she immediately ordered him to tell her everything he was up to the last three years.

So after Charlie and Ginny caught up Charlie told everyone about their Parvusdragons at the reservoir. Ginny dragged him off to show her the little dragon.

She and Harry discussed how they should name him but couldn't agree on one name the other day. In the end Ginny named him Tantus and told Harry that he had to live with it. He just said that in naming their kids, he wouldn't give in that quickly.

Just the fact that he considered having kids with her made her giddy. What followed was a very intense snogging that left Harry taking a cold dive in the pond by the tree house where they spend that afternoon.

As tea and pudding was served James and Amelia started to update everyone what's going on at the ministry since they last came together.

"Sirius and me just need two more votes for sure so that we can let Fudge be removed from office," James finished after he went through all the members of the Wizardgamot they had on their side.

"There's now just the problem with our new candidate." He continued but was interrupted by Sirius.

"It's not a 'problem'." Sirius said annoyed. "The fact that Amelia is pregnant won't change the mind of those we got on our side."

"Yes, but it'll change how people will see her." Severus threw in and received a deadly glare from Sirius. "They will ask if a heavy pregnant and mother-to-be can lead their world. Granted, you two and Amelia changed a lot in our political system but not directly in the people's head. Either way Fudge wouldn't still be in office."

"Severus is right," Lily said. "But nevertheless Amelia is the best choice for the job. When it comes down to it now people will vote for her. Not even Dumbledore or Augusta would vote against her as it's also in their own interest."

"And I told all of you that just because I'm pregnant and a mother-to-be, I'll still meet my responsibilities," Amelia said and looked from one to the other. "I'll just be one month before and after the delivery not active in office. But this two month my very qualified assistant will take over."

A long time ago they all agreed that Arthur Weasley would be the best choice as Amelia's assistant when she'd get into office. He had a brilliant mind and the sense of justice and loyalty a Ministry of Magic they wanted to build needed.

"Alright, so is anyone against it, that we make our move the next session of the Wizardgamont in November?" All around the tabled shooked their heads no.

"How's the horcrux front?" Ginny asked and Harry tensed up immediately.

She sensed his uncomforting and laid her hand on his thigh. "Sorry, I just…" "It's okay." He gave her a weak smile and brought her hand to his lips.

"Dumbledore still doesn't know for sure what they are. He got his presumptions. One more far away than the others from the truth," Severus answered and looked directly at Harry. "He assumes that the Longbottom boy could have a part of Riddles soul inside him, but the lack of connection the boy shows towards Riddle is irritating him."

"Riddle at the same time doesn't know anything about the state of his soul pieces. He hasn't told anyone about them and seemed to be sure that no one would ever find them."

"Idiot!" Dora and Ginny said at once and had to laugh.

"Either way," Severus ignored their comment and continued "The curse Dumbledore was hit with is still spreading."

"What curse?" Ginny asked confused.

"Dumbledore was looking for a horcrux. He made it to the place the horcrux was located but Tom placed curses on it and around the place," Bill explained "Just a fully trained curse breaker or the person who did them could break through the curses. Dumbledore is powerful but there are things even he doesn't know."

"What does the curse?" "It's killing him." Bill answered flatly "And I can't even feel bad for him."

Bills comment received understanding nods and grunts. "He did things to our family that I could never forgive him and somehow he deserves it."

"He got a year left at the most." Severus added.

"Does that mean that the spell he put The Burrow under will break?" Ginny already thought ahead.

"Yes, firefly. The spell would break the moment he dies." Bill smiled weakly at her.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

It was a bit later that evening that found Ginny browsing through Harry's bookshelves. He was meanwhile in the bathroom and got ready for the night. Ginny went first so she was now looking for something to read.

Her eyes fell on a book that lay on top of some others. Ginny took it out and read the title.

"The Kamasutra" Ginny read out loud and turned the book over. The red cover with its golden ornaments held nothing but the title.

She shrugged and walked over to the bed and settled down at what became her side of the bed.

Ginny took the book and read the first page. With every word of the introduction her eyes got a bit wider and it dawned in her what this book probably was about.

She gulped and haphazardly turned to another page. The position the people in the picture were in just didn't look physical possible to her.

The way he held her…and how she bent…

Just as she stared at another page, she randomly opened up and turned the book around so that she could decipher anything, the door to the bathroom opened and Harry walked towards the bed.

"What are you reading?" he asked and settled down next to her.

Ginny didn't hear him before but now she came out of her state and quickly shut the book before he could get a glimpse as it and shoved it behind her cushion.

"Nothing." She felt herself blushing so furiously that she was sure he could see it even with the dim light.

"Come on, love. It can't be that bad," Harry said nuzzled her neck and fished at the same time for the book under her cushion.

She just wanted to say something as she felt the book escaping her grip.

"No, Harry really it's…" but too late.

"The Kama…" Harry's started to read the title but stopped.

Ginny already pressed a cushion to her head and just wanted to disappear. She expected to follow an embarrassing silent but instead she heard him laughing out loud.

Not believing his reaction she took the cushion from her face and stared at him.

"That's not funny," Ginny said irritated and threw the cushion at him. "I mean, this is your book. So why do you even own something like that?"

"Dora gave it to me with other books on…" he held up a picture that looked much more like a workout exercise than two people having sex. "body and mind training."

"Still not funny!" she said now also laughing.

"Look at that, this is not even possible!" She showed him one of the pictures that caught her attention earlier.

"You're right. Most of this positions can't be comfortable," Harry said and turned over another page as they still laughed.

"All of those position in there…" Ginny said through the laughter as they continued to look through the book.

"Oh look!" Harry pointed at one picture "This looks feasible."

Ginny snorted, took the book away to lay it on her night-stand and straddled him.

"Yep, that's easy." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

Harry placed his hands on her hips and drew her closer to him. They closed the little distance between them and kissed each other passionately.

"Easy and good," Harry said as he planted open mouth kisses down her throat and over her collarbone.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

At the same time somewhere in the countryside of the lovely county of Wiltshire a lonely fox made its way through the dense undergrowth.

This was the place of his anger. Every time he chased his easy prey they just disappeared into thin air right in front of him. He never did another step forward.

Ever since he was born he learned that this forest was special. Things just disappeared or appeared or strange lights flew through the trees.

He hadn't something to eat the last three days so he was really desperate to see what would happen if he took that step forwards and disappear. He would be where all his prey ended, wouldn't he?

So the lonely and very hungry fox did one step more and a chill ran down his spine. Everything looked just the same with the exception of that huge stone house that stood there in front of him.

He knew this forest in and out and never saw this house.

He skulked carefully towards the house. His sense caught the smell of fresh meat and the promise of a rich meal.

After a few steps he pricked up his ears. There was something moving behind him across the ground.

The last thing the lonely and hungry fox saw were two yellowish green eyes with a huge jaw beneath that welcomed his meal with beautiful long fangs and a slithering tongue.

Now he was really where all his prey ended.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Lord Voldemort watched his beautiful snake enjoying her meal from the window of the huge ballroom inside of Malfoy Manor. Behind him his inner circle was gathered around.

"You all did well tonight. Tonight you rid the world of poor excuses that called themselves wizards and witches. You helped our world to become a better place." He turned around and his burning red eyes sparkled from the fire that lit the room.

"It won't be long now till the boy will join us. The chosen one, as he is called these days, will join our ranks sooner than later. Everyone who believed in him shall kneel down at my feet. Dumbledore that old fool the first one to do the honour." Lord Voldemort walked towards the middle of the room.

"Together with the help of your grandson I will destroy Harry Potter. All of you fools followed Dumbledore blindly. But he was wrong." With a motion of his wand he caused the old and beaten form raising from the floor so that he could look into her eyes.

"You and everyone else believed him that your grandson would be anything special, but he isn't," Lord Voldemort laughed maniac into the face of the form that used to be once a feisty and stubborn Augusta Longbottom. "Not yet at least."

"Yaxley, take some of her hairs and bring them down to the lab." Everyone in the room watched as Yaxley ripped out a handful of the woman's hair "You can join the others with Bella when you're done." Lord Voldemort added and Yaxley walked out of the room.

"Wormtail, take her to her room." The little man levitated the old woman out of the room and passed Severus who just wanted to walk into the room.

"Ah, Severus. Yaxley just brought some new hairs form our guest to your lab. They should be enough for another month." Severus walked with his usually stoic face towards his place. "I think you don't mind that I inform you that you can't join Bella and the others tonight. But I think Narcissa would be there if needed."

Lord Voldemort despised all this physical desire. For him it was just a waste of time and energy, but he had to admit that even he gave in and spent the night with Bellatrix every now and then.

Bellatrix gave herself to everyone. Narcissa was more difficult.

He just started to use her for his followers after her husband failed him again. The little Malfoy would be just as useless as his father so he didn't even try to involve him in anything.

"Thank you, my Lord." Severus hated to play the role of his loyal servant.

He had to play it but he hated it.

"Now leave me alone!" Voldemort ordered his followers out of his sight. Most of them followed Bellatrix while few others made their way home.

Severus did neither. He walked through the huge manor towards the east wing.

After a meeting of the inner circle she would always wait for someone in her room. Especially after a successful mission like today.

He knocked on the door and without waiting for a respond he walked into the room.

Like always she sat in the armchair by the fire and read a book. She looked up and her face lit up. Severus never did anything to her.

"How many tonight?" she asked as she closed the book and watched him sitting down in the other armchair.

"None. They all followed Bellatrix." He watched her carefully. He knew that she stopped loving her sister a long time ago.

"How was your day?" Severus asked and Narcissa had to smile at that. He and Draco were the only ones that managed to make her smile like that these days.

She called her house elf to bring them some tea and biscuit and she lost herself in their conversation.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Harry woke up with the same wonderful feeling of Ginny in his arms and their limbs one big mess.

He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled her wonderful flowery scent. Ginny shifted slightly and moved her leg that was nestled between both of his.

"You know that it's creepy that you like to sniff at me like a dog, right?" Ginny mumbled against his chest half asleep half awake.

"I don't care," Harry responded and started to kiss her awake completely.

A bit later they both stood freshly showered in front of the mirror in the bathroom.

"What are you doing there?" Ginny asked forcefully and stopped brushing her hair as she saw what Harry wanted to do.

"Shaving?!" Harry was a bit confused. His confusion just increased as Ginny took the razor away from him.

"Don't!" she said and gently brushed over his three-day stubble "I like it like that."

"You sure? I thought it would be to scratchily for you." Ginny shook her head no and kissed him along his jawline.

She smiled mischievously at him "I like you hairy."

"That was the worst pun EVER!" Harry responded through his laughter.

There was a knock on the bedroom door and after their synchronized "Come in!" Lily walked into the room.

"Morning you two," She said and smiled at the two teens who emerged the bathroom. "Harry, your father wanted something from you in the study."

"I'm already on my way." Harry gave a silent salute, kissed his mother's cheek and walked out of the room.

"You need to shave!" Lily called after her who just chuckled at his mother's comment as he descended the stairs.

"Can I talk to you, sweetheart?" Lily asked after she closed the door and walked towards the hamper to vanish the washings towards the laundry.

"Sure." Ginny sat down on the bed and looked at Lily expectantly.

"You know that James and me don't have any problem with you and Harry sharing a bed." Lily sat down next to her and gave her a smile. "By the way I wanted to thank you for bringing the old Harry out of him. It's good to have him back."

Ginny smiled back at her. "I didn't do anything. I was just me."

"And you're everything he needs." Ginny had to blush at Lily words. She knew it but somehow being told by other made it so much more real.

"Either way, preventing you from the inevitable would be just a waste of time and energy. You two would've ended up in one bed one way or another. You two had your own minds even as kids" Lily nudged Ginny's shoulder and continued.

"But to allow you to sleep together in one bed never meant to allow you to make us grandparents, yet." Ginny felt a blush creeping up her neck.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm not here to tell you to stop whatever you're doing with my son. Because whatever that is you're good at it and it makes him very happy so I'm here to help you," Lily said gently and draped one arm over Ginny's shoulder.

Ginny relaxed visibly.

"I take it that your mother didn't talk to you about sex and everything else involved?"

"No, after my first year she treated me like an infant." Ginny huffed and looked down at her hands.

"Hey," Lily tilted her head up so that she looked at her again. "We'll get your family back. But right now you and me need to talk. So…ehm…did your menses start?"

Ginny nodded. "Two years ago. I was at Hogwarts so I went to Madam Pomfrey and she told me everything about that."

So Lily skipped that part of the talked and jumped directly to the basics of sex and how she could make it as comfortable for her and Harry as possible. Nevertheless, Lily took a lot time to tell the younger with about the importance of all the emotional aspects involved.

Half an hour later both of them walked out of the bedroom with her night-stand containing a few vails of contraceptive potion. Each potion would last eight hours.

"You know, telling you all of this and knowing that it will be my own son you will experience this with is slightly disturbing," Lily said and wrinkled her nose as they walked down the stairs.

"The same here," Ginny confessed "But thank you, Lily. I'm very happy to have you. All of you." Ginny hugged the older witch who was like a mother to her and yet in so many ways more like a very good friend.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." Lily returned the hug.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"Dad? Do you know if Bill is free this afternoon?" Harry asked as he and James walked out of the study.

"You know that he's waiting for you to talk to him?" James turned to his son and had to smile at his son's embarrassment.

"Yeaah…," Harry hesitated and raked through his hair "I know…"

"Don't worry, son. He won't kill you." James tried to calm him down.

"When I remember correctly he's at home today. So go and we'll meet at the grocery store in" James looked at his watch. "thirty minutes should be enough."

Harry just nodded, thanked his father and walked back towards the study to floo over to Bill's.

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

Harry landed safely in Bill's and Fleur's flat with his hand covering his eyes.

"Everyone dressed?" he asked into the room cheekily.

Fleurs sweet laughter made him uncover his eyes and greet her. "Good luck!" Fleur said and winked at him.

"Took you long enough, Potter." Harry gulped, inhaled deeply and squared his shoulders.

There was one other person that was as equally protective of Ginny as him and that was the person that threw death glares at him.

"Let's go outside." Bill said and walked over to the patio. He turned around and stared at Harry.

"Bill I really love her you know that. I would die for her and I would rather cut out my eyes than to hurt her." Billy nodded his understanding.

"I know what I did to her was stupid and I was a total dick, BUT she's my life, Bill." Harry looked him now directly in the eye. "I want to marry her. I have no idea how much time I've got left but I know that I want to make her happy every single second of it."

Harry took a deep breath and waited.

"You know, my answer would be no today." Bill said calmly. Harry's eyes got as big as saucers and he spluttered unintelligible things.

"Ginny needs you just as much as you need her. She is who she is just with you by her side. Which I still don't understand completely but nevertheless" Harry was totally confused. This didn't make any sense, him saying 'no' and then THIS.

"I mean I would say 'no' to destroying the ring and resurrection stone. Keeping you alive with every chance there is, is more important than beating Dumbledore."

Harry breathed out a breath he didn't realised he hold and relaxed visibly.

"So, yes. You got my blessing to marry Ginny," Bill said smiling broadly and hugged Harry brotherly.

"But don't you dare to knock her up anytime soon." Bill threatened just half joking. "I know the deepest and most secrets tombs in France. You would never be found!"

 _~The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return~_

"Wha di you ge fom yoa da?" Ginny asked while brushing her teeth.

"What?" Harry asked as he stood up from where he sat on the floor after he meditated.

Every morning after he woke up and every night before he went to bed he meditated to clear his mind and keep his occlumence shields up so that Tom couldn't get into his head.

"I said, what did you get from your dad?" she dried her mouth and walked towards her night-stand to get one of the vials out Lily gave her earlier ad threw it towards him. He caught it out of air just like a proper seeker.

"Oh…ehm…well we just talked and…" Harry beat around the bush. As he looked down at the vial in his hand.

"Come on. It can't be as bad as _your_ mother giving _your girlfriend_ tips on her sex life." Ginny had to roll her eyes at Harry.

"Girlfriend?" "What?" Ginny asked back confused.

"You said you're my girlfriend." Both of them stood next to the bed on their sides and stared at each other.

"I did. And I mean I AM your girlfriend," Ginny responded still confused and pulled the covers back.

"The last time you said, we were 'we' for now and we never really said it and…" Harry rumbled on still staring at her.

Ginny smiled at that. "Harry, that was five days ago. The last five days we did things with each other I would've never done if you weren't my boyfriend." She crawled over and kneeled on the bed in front of him.

"Being 'we' somehow always meant to be together, didn't it?" She grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. She knew that he never slept with anything else but some sweatpants on.

"You're so perfect," Harry said huskily and wanted to kiss her but she let herself fall back onto the bed.

"Nugh-ugh. First you show me what your father gave you." Harry sighed and pulled the first drawer of his night-stand open and threw a little box at her.

"Mum gave you THE potion I assume?" Ginny just nodded as she inspected the box with a frown. Meanwhile Harry settled down in bed lifting her legs so that he could lay down under the covers.

"What are those … things for?" she asked and looked at him. So Harry explained it to her in a more general and shorter version of what his father gave him this morning.

She gave him the box back and settled down in their usual position.

"What did you and your dad do the rest of the day beside the daily purchase and buying condoms?" Ginny asked while she felt her eyelids becoming quite heavy.

"Nothing really. Just looking around." Ginny felt that he wasn't telling her something.

"What are you hiding, Potter?" He shrunk under her calculating glare she was giving him from looking up from his chest.

"Nothing. Really it was just…" he looked at her and sighed frustrated. "Alright, if you need to know, it was something for your birthday."

Suddenly Ginny's whole face lit up and she smiled at him like a Cheshire cat. Without another word she gave him a soft but lingering kiss and settled down in his arms where she fell asleep almost immediately.


End file.
